#when i call follow me the best btw i mean in terms of fitting her character!! i fucking LOVEEEEEE my sweet passion dont get me wrong

[infizero]

crazy how heroes simultaneously has the worst amy characterization and also the best amy theme song... how did they manage that

[rinharu-purple]

On Jealousy

I owe this analysis/answer to an anon ask which I've accidentally posted, though only with the introduction sentence and then couldn't retrieve.🙈

Dear anon, this analysis is dedicated to you.

I HOPE YOU SEE THIS!!! 🙏🏻💫🙏🏻

Thank you @sin-with-quiche for proofreading and @lunabai78 for the spiritual support 💕💕💕

---—-----—

We have quite a number of moments in our journey with Gavin... Some are funny, some are cute, some are...mmm over the edge

(。-ω-)ﾉ

If you ask me whether Gavin is a jealous man, I would give you two answers:

1) Pre and early relationship... Absolutely!

2) Established relationship... The fitting colloquial term is "territorial".

In order to look at Gavin's attitude towards other males and whether to categorize them as jealous behaviour or not, first we need to describe jealousy .

Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety.

The word stems from the French jalousie, formed from jaloux (jealous), and further from Low Latin zelosus (full of zeal), in turn from the Greek word ζήλος (zēlos), sometimes "jealousy", but more often in a positive sense "emulation, ardour, zeal" (with a root connoting "to boil, ferment"; or "yeast").

As you can see, there are different set of emotions that might boil or ferment the reaction of jealousy in one's belly.

My personal take on this is that jealousy arises from two simple things 1) Lack of self-confidence 2) Lack of trust towards one's partner (in terms of romantic jealousy). You don't get jealous when you know you're one hell-of-a-mate and are with the right person. Which is why as we will see in a minute Gavin fits the bill at the beginning but afterwards his jealousy isn't actually jealousy at all!

So which sets of emotions lead to his jealous behaviour and in which conjuncture?

We know that Gavin is completely attuned to MC. This also applies for his reaction towards the presence of other guys around her. So the type of jealousy he displays is attuned to MCs type of reaction to the source of his jealousy. He observes MCs aura and attitude carefully and then reacts in an either desirous, protective, territorial or downright pouty manner.

If he sees the person is overstepping their boundaries like TNTs Tyson or the guys catcalling her during Romantic Date, he gets protective. If he sees someone from his inner cycle being only the slightest overfamiliar with MC as in his phone call with Eli, he gets territorial and draws boundaries. If he gets ditched by MC and walks on her having lunch with another guy all the while she's being touched by him and she's not showing any protest, he pouts in the corner and stabs MC with his words "Too much of anything can get boring after a while" (love this moment and how Joe delivers this line with a strong tonation on the word - boooring-)

If he sees the person is actually drawing MCs attention, well... This is where we can look more into. Because this is actually a stereotypical example of making one jealous. Seeing your love interest with another person in an over-friendly manner.

In Trio Date, he worries that MC might have a crush on Kiro and a close relationship with him. Which is understandably an alarming situation for him, because he isn't that close to her himself and Kiro is... well... Kiro. Pretty much everyone's into him 🌟. But Gavin doesn't show any aggression or envy towards Kiro. On the contrary, he praises him for his charm and even says that he can see what people mean by that as in confessing to being charmed by Kiro himself. I really praise how elegant Gavin acts in the face of this situation 👑 Needless to say, it's a Gavin date, meaning the canon couple in this scenario is Gavin x MC (On a side note pretty bold and disrespectful of PG to put another LI in the supporting male role in a date for another tbh) And also RIP Chandler, the poor guy didn't do anything wrong ^_^

At this point I need to let one thing out of my chest though. I can't say that I appreciate him telling MC when and where to wear revealing clothes <spoiler alert> only for him. Even though we don't actually see him seriously forbidding her to wear them I think it would be better to leave her be the judge of it. But considering the fact that she gets catcalled even at his presence I can kinda see why Gavin gets protective here. On a side note, his girlfriend isn't better on this matter either. MC covers Gavin's body at the beach during 2021 summer event in CN server so that other girls don't drool over him 🤣 These two have some homework to do in that department I tell you that 😅

In the more mature phases of their relationship, we no longer see Gavin feeling himself threatened by the presence of another male. AT ALL! All Gavin jealousy after this point is only because someone is overstepping their boundaries and making "his girl" uncomfortable.

Gavin might be the one acting jealous the most frequently among the LIs, but he never ever gets possessive over her, limits her freedom or makes unconfirmed self proclaims on behalf of her. Being possessive over someone objectifies them and the moment you objectify a person, you no longer need to be in a relationship with them tbh. Leaving your partner room to breathe and respecting their personal space is important and Gavin does this the best alongside with Kiro. We also never see Kiro getting possessive, limiting or doing anything of that nature with MC.

Further in their relationship Gavin still acts jealous, but in an extremely cute, pure and harmless way. Be it against prankster ghosts, animals she's met in the middle of the desert, a wild child, service dogs, birds and co. Basically anyone and anything that diverts her attention from him for more than a nanosecond can be perceived as a threat but an adult male 😂At his core, Gav-babe wants MC all for himself but his jealousy is actually only adorkable.

(´∀｀)♡

In the main story, however, there is a certain LI which becomes the magnet for Gavin's firsthand jealousy and even kinda provokes this. And this is actually what I am dying to write about in this post😈. It only happens at the beginning of the story, but I love it so much and therefore it must be in this post.

Gavin shows signs of jealousy towards one particular LI at various occasions and that is...

Gavin shows obvious signs of jealousy towards our genius scientist and that is completely understandable! Lucien is the one who makes his advances first and is the most straightforward one throughout the main story. Plus, he lives right next to MC and, let's be honest here, is the only one who toys with MC's poor hormones the most. Just to give one example:

Gavin and MC don't become quite a couple before CH12 and S1 Gavin has some issues with self-worth and confidence (towards MC). When he meets MC again after 6 years, he is perplexed and is fairly clueless as to how to approach her romantically. Lest Gavin making the wrong moves, he acts weirdly around MC which further confuses her. Gav-babe is really weird at the beginning of the story 😅

The first time we see Gavin getting jealous about Lucien is in CH2, when he and MC spend a prolonged period of time for the first time as they investigate the time warping incident. Our birdcop is hopelessly in love with MC so when he sees her become so red on the phone with another person, he gets worked up.

Fun trivia, Joe's reaction to this moment can be found here

The second instance is when MC spends two nights in a row with Lucien in CH5 and then falls asleep in her office.

It is crucial to remember at this point that up to CH5, MC seems to be most romantically involved with Lucien and spends most of her time with him. LuLu mercilessly teasing her and flirting with her doesn't help much in that sense either because he is actively making advances on her. Thus announcing his candidacy for "Mr. Love". So when Gavin catches MC spending nights following Lucien, having phone calls with him, living right next door to him, working closely with him and blushes because of him, it's fairly understandable that our birdcop gets fairly jealous because at that point in the story Lucien seems to have a better shot at love with her than he does.

Btw, MC flatlines on his question as to who is the resource of her flustering this time around and doesn't explain herself ;)

Interestingly though, in the third instance, where Gavin sees MC and Lucien, he isn't jealous at all! In the famous "Rude Awakening" moment, the vibes we get at first is as if Gavin walks in to MC and Lucien. But actually our protective boyfriend is there to save MCs life. What's more, he doesn't give credit to Lucien's provocations, such as when he calls Gavin "dangerous" or pulls MC behind him, stays extremely close to her and plays the "protective boyfriend" in front of him. On Gavin's defense, the one actually saves MCs life and protects her is Gavin here as he deflects the bullet shot at her.¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Furthermore, he asks Lucien to take MC home, albeit not before telling her that he will be contacting her later, signaling to Lucien that he shouldn't stick along for long. A highly subtle way of "marking his territory", much like a wolf would. God I love this scene both in the main story and in the anime.

It is necessary to mention at this point that the chapter following this scene revolves around Gavin and MC clearing all kinds of misunderstandings between them and MC trying to bind with him. Hence laying the first stones in the temple of their relationship. After that point we no longer see Gavin showing any kind of jealousy towards anyone. So mark CH7 people ;)

----—-----—-----—

You know what I would love to see? Gavin getting jealous over Shaw. I wonder whether he even knows that MC spends time with him 🤔 Too bad that PG has left the idea "brother conflict".

If you would like to read another perspective on this, Cheri has posted her analysis here

[captain-aralias]

Fic’s finished - here’s some trivia!

Includes: 

References to 90s RomComs

Writerly ephemera

Baz’s wardrobe / Simon’s wardrobe

A deleted scene

90s RomComs

In the prompt, Liz mentioned Four Weddings and a Funeral and My Best Friend’s Wedding. (And The Proposal, which honestly I’ve never seen, even though now I’m thinking I should.) I didn’t really go with the vibes because I wanted to do a break up, but I put at least one reference to these films in every chapter. For fun. 

He was the love of my life. My North, my South, my East and West. (Chapter 1) 

It also, horrifyingly, sounds a lot like that awful song Daphne made us listen to earlier. I can’t laugh, and I can’t sing. (Chapter 2)

The whole ‘forgot the rings’ thing is reference enough

I like him dressed for weddings. (Chapter 3)

He crosses his arms. Pretends to be unmoved, even when half the bar joins in (I tipped Shepard off) (he thought the plan was brilliant) even the lobsters. They’re waving their claws in the air. (Chapter 4 - the only reference to My Best Friend’s Wedding)

“The boy’s a liar,” someone barks from behind me. “Tyrannus Pitch has been dead sixty years and good riddance.” (Chapter 5) 

“Simon,” I say. “I do.” (Chapter 5) 

Writerly Ephemera  

Amy had this lovely idea a few months ago: Find bits of yourself that you gave to your fiction (memories and places and phrases and things into our stories).

Usually, there’s hardly any of my life in my fic, but I stole a few bits and pieces for this fic: 

My father got re-married when I was at university. I like his wife, but I barely knew her then - I just knew, she’s the woman my dad left my mum for! He asked me to choose a reading and I had literally no idea what to pick. Retrospectively, I should have said no, you choose, but anyway. I chose a bit of Jeeves & Wooster where Bertie talks about wanting to get married for some reason - both my aunts loved it, the married couple were completely bemused. No idea what I was on about. 

Also, their recessional music was Whitney Houston. The theme from The Bodyguard. I’d originally written this as the Spice Girls, since Daphne would have grown up in the 90s, but then I thought of the end of Chapter 2 joke, and I was like - going to troll my father from this gay fanfiction, I guess. 

It was really hot when I was writing Chapter 3. That’s why it’s very hot in this chapter.  

Simon and Baz choose not to get married at the end of this fic - not yet anyway. In part, because I didn’t want to re-do Golden Years, in part because that’s the end of Four Weddings, and in part because I feel a bit like I’ve written Baz in this fic. I thought I liked weddings, until I thought about it properly ... (N.B. I think actual Baz totally wants to marry Simon, btw, and Simon longs for an official family. But I had to get to my ending, so here we are.) 

Baz’s wardrobe

You can still buy a very similar McQueen blazer if you like. Which I like even more. It’s completely not my vibe - unlike the Harry Styles Gucci below, which definitely is – and it’s a thousand pounds, but several times during this fic, I thought... I mean, maybe?

There’s no reference for the burgundy suit - I just wanted it. 

Simon’s wardrobe

He’s wearing the Leaver’s Ball outfit at Jamie & Beth’s wedding, followed by a suit that has no reference, but is based - in my mind - on one from RooBadley’s Use Your Words 

I consulted Roo about Simon’s wardrobe for this fic - for one summer wedding, one winter wedding. They gave me these: 

I really liked this second suit for Simon - so much that when I remembered Simon was the best man in Chapter 5 and should probably be wearing some sort of matching outfit with Shepard, I was like... to hell with it. He’s wearing this!!!

I switched the green for undyed linen. Roo and I also had this conversation, which I wanted to use in the fic but never managed to fit in.

aralias i'm just reading in the gentleman's gazette that it's actually OK for linen to be creased

RooBadley

I would very much love for this to be a fact that Lady Ruth reassures Simon with and Simon then repeats to Baz his one bit of fashion knowledge

aralias "the really pronounced characteristic wrinkles of linen are a sign of a sophisticated casual style, actually, Baz"

RooBadley Baz: Shall I spell those wrinkles out for you, Snow? Simon: Actually, creasing is fine and acceptable when wearing linen, Baz. Though'd you'd have known that. ~smirk~

aralias i like the way this dude has rolled up the trousers too - it's not a safari, it's hipster

Deleted scene:

After the success (I think) of the end of chapter 1, I started to think ‘maybe every chapter will end with some texting!!!’ 

I started writing this conversation for the end of chapter 2 before I’d finished it - almost unheard of - but then I decided I hated it. Very info-dumpy. I kept the homo-positive joke, as you can see, even though I’m not sure it deserves to be kept. 😂

“HOLY MORGANA. penny just told me.”

“I know. She called me as well. It’s some sort of visa thing, I think. And she thinks it will be helpful in negotiating back all the children he’s bartered away, if she can tell people she’s his wife and has a claim on them.”

“it was more romantic when penny told me about it. shepard asked me to be his best man.”

“Oh dear. Are he and Bunce going to fight over you?”

“obviously not. penny’s a woman.”

“So? I’m going to be Fiona’s Best Man. Or Man of Honour – whatever the term is.”

“yeah, but that’s different.”

“How? Choose your words carefully, Snow.”

“I mean, because fiona doesn’t have any other friends & her sister is dead (sorry). who the fuck would she pick if not you? penny asked her sister.”

“Oh. I thought you meant because I was gay. And like to wear flowers.”

“wtf. no. i’m not homophobic. i’m LITERALLY homo … positive. (is that a thing?)”

“I think you can just say gay.”

“i’m not gay, tho”

“Right. Well, this is awkward.”

“why?”

“baz? you know i don’t know what i am. and you know it doesn’t matter, because the only person I want to be with is YOU. even tho you’re a touchy bastard.”

“man of honour suits you. you should go with that.”

“Best man doesn’t suit *you* at all.”

“fuck off.”

“are you going to come to penny’s wedding?”

“Yes. Even now I know you’re helping organise it. Do you want to come to Fiona’s?”

“fuck no. she tried to kill me. unless you want me to. i’ll go if you want me to. i’ll even buy her a gift”

“I would like you to be there.”

“all right. send me the invite.”

that’s all, folks!

Four Funereal Weddings and an American Stag Do

[nafeary]

“Love And Reason Keep Little Company Together”

⚬ Pairing: Napoleon Bonaparte/Reader

⚬ Character/s: Napoleon Bonaparte

⚬ Warning/s: Cursing

⚬ Word Count: 1.7k

⚬ Occasion: @delicateikemenmemes BDay 💜💜💜

✧✎ Synopsis: You’d think that—after fulfilling the chore of waking le monsieur de wahaha almost every day—rising in the former emperor’s arms would loose its charm over time, but every morning you two got to share together was special. Special, indeed.

✧✎ A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRL! I’ve been meaning to start this like... one and a half months ago, but I only really did so around last week in my true procrastinating fashion. Btw, I derived the plot of this scenario from an idea Sara provided me with upon asking what her ideal cuddle scenario with Sir Baenaparte is. I didn’t end up using it, so it was the perfect opportunity to be a bit sneaky hehe.

And massive thanks to @fairy-marshmallow for beta-reading this! I wouldn’t have posted this if it weren’t for you 💜

I hope you (and everyone else) will have a great day, and remember to drink your water.💧

He had tried staying awake; certainly, he had.

But as soon as you had stood up to crank a window open, he was knocked out cold—the gentle puffs escaping his lips the only sign keeping you from seeking out the resident doctor. It was in an effort to chase away the uncomfortable humidity inside his room that you permitted the cold drafts to stream like rivers of rimy icicles, creating the perfect climate to fall into a deep slumber.

You didn’t mind him breaking his promise to fall asleep together. On the contrary, you were elated that you ended up winning the bet.

“Nunuche… I want to fall asleep with you today,” he had muttered, forcing his droopy eyes to stay open (which resulted in an awkward succession of repetitive blinking).

You could only chuckle at his adorable enthusiasm. “You don’t have to, Leon… I doubt you could even manage.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“Perhaps.”

While you hadn’t decided on your prize beforehand, being able to slip beneath the duvets to cuddle into the former emperor’s side seemed like a fitting reward.

Despite the heavy set of blankets, shivers crawled up your spine at the rain wafting icy fronts throughout the room. You had just woken up, absentmindedly inhaling a tantalizing scent, something reminiscent of violets. Your mind felt numb for a moment and you nuzzled your head further into the mattress; it was comfortable and warm, but oddly hard.

Slowly blinking your eyes open, you came to realize that you were tightly cocooned by Napoleon’s arms. His breathing was steady, the rise of his chest every few moments a rhythm more serene than Mozart’s nocturnes. You could feel more than hear his heartbeat as your head rested just above it. With your arm draped over him, you acutely realised that your leg was wedged in between his.

Grasping for every bit of heat you possibly could, you snuggled deeper into his warm arm-cocoon—the window could wait, and you’d gladly risk frostbite if it could prolong this moment of pure tranquillity.

You dared to peek at your lover’s face, and your heart slammed into your throat, a plethora of memories and emotions reigning your thoughts. While you might not have been in a relationship for long, the experiences you two have gathered upon the way spoke tales of spent decades. You remembered how he’d called you a chore, and other infuriating terms (but you could pardon his 19th century mindset), you remembered how he’d do his best to hide his dark side from yourself, yet how he opened up—exposing the deepest shadows within his mind.

But most of all, you remembered all the trivial moments, the at-times domestic life you were blessed with. You remembered how he told you of his heart racing a little too rapidly at the sight of you, and how you noticed that his lashes couldn’t stop flicking up and down and how his hazy eyes gleamed after your every move.

Just as he had done, you allowed your gaze to inhabit his features, the innocent expression on his face contradicting his bloody past, the gentle pout on his bruised lips making him appear so much younger than he actually was.

Napoleon was entirely too gorgeous, and you sometimes wondered whether he wasn’t actually an angel or a demon—if not both. The things he made you feel with a single look or word compelled you to each and every sinful bidding of his, a commander in every sense. And you’d submit to him readily. Your trust ran deeper than blood ever could, and you knew he’d do the same for you. Despite your shared history, some doubts still infested your mind, a maudlin area of your thoughts you assayed to part from. But it was almost impossible not to spend time contemplating whether you were truly compatible for instance.

A morning yawn halted your reminiscing, the following shrill mewl escaping Napoleon’s mouth prompting you to giggle slightly. Sunlight unfurled in golden ribbons, prompting his lashes to flutter in protest as they hesitated to fully open.

“Parbleu...” he mumbled drowsily, tense muscles screeching for release as he stretched his limbs down to the tips of his toes, like a cat who had just awoken from a well-rested nap. After a few moments of motionless silence, his brain finally warmed up to the idea of waking up.

When he turned to face you, all your worry faded at the sight of his genuinely handsome, if not slightly crooked, grin. A glimpse was more than enough for you.

Burying a hand in your hair, he leaned forward and your lips extinguished any remainder of the autumn air that plagued the room, coming together in a zephyr-like kiss. You could feel his lips stretch into an ever-so-gentle simper, making your toes dance with happy feelings. Once he had miraculously gotten rid of his waking-up habits (“how could I ever kiss someone else when I have my nunuche to help me out?”), his morning kisses—the conscious ones—never failed to make you feel cherished. They were the sweetest kind that numbed your mind and enriched every sense.

You parted rather reluctantly, but he continued his assault down your neck as he encompassed you within his strong arms once again, the heat of his body flush to your back all the more prominent. Eventually, his face came to rest near you nape after a few delicate kisses to your lobe, his muffled words barely legible to you. “I didn’t understand a word you said, ‘Leon.”

“Bonjour, mon amour,” he said with a blinding smile, lifting himself slightly off your neck... only to be interrupted by a completely unabashed fit of laughter.

“...you’re laughing at my hair again, aren’t you?”

He ceased his hysterics, just enough for him to talk, that is. “Your “bedhead”, I believe you called it, is extraordinaire, I’m sorry.”

You were about to reply, but his fingers combing through your hair distracted you from all ire. He took his time with each stroke, carefully fighting his way through any knots while also making sure that he doesn’t end up hurting you.

The sun had risen considerably the next time you paid attention to it, noticing that you’d completely driven off to dreamland. It was your boyfriend’s voice that interrupted your nap. “Nunuche?”

“Hm?” You mumbled drowsily, grabbing onto his forearms to ward off the creeping cold.

Noticing the goosebumps scattered across your skin, he pulled his blankets further up your body. “I don’t need this much. That’s your blanket anyway— hey!” Ignoring your furrowed brows, he tucked the fabric all the way to your chin, refusing your protests with a smirk.

You couldn’t help but grumble a little. “Happy?”

“I am.” His actions did produce a feeling of petulance creeping up your throat, like so many other residents managed to, but the affection and glee burning in his eyes quickly dissolved it—a gentle burn across your cheeks the only remainder of your exasperation.

Sighing slightly, you asked, “Weren’t you saying something?”

“Ah, of course,” he said, propping himself above you with his arms before commencing, “have I ever told you how much I adore waking up to your voice? How grateful I am to see you next to me first thing in the morning?”

His words chased away your exasperation, butterflies erupting within your stomach begging to burst free, carrying their messages of euphoria for the entire world to experience. If it wasn’t for the blanket fort restricting your every movement, you’d be throwing your arms around him—consequently squeezing every tiny bit of negative thoughts out of him.

Napoleon seemed to notice your wish, gradually lowering himself right above your face, so close, you could feel his hands indenting the mattress beside your face, feel his lashes brush your cheeks, feel his breath fan across your face. And as trivial as it might have sounded, you didn’t catch yourself minding the odour of his unwashed mouth, nor the sleep crust inhabiting the corner of his eyes. This moment felt so domestic and mundane—yet so important.

You were completely and utterly whipped for this man.

“You deserve the world,” you managed to breathe out, captivated by your love for this man, and intoxicated by the feeling of being desired and cherished.

His quiet laugh shook his chest. “Considering that you are my world, that’s all I could ever hope for.”

Just as his lips were about to meet your own, your eyebrows lifted your lids, only to come back down in absolute annoyance. You couldn’t believe the timing of the worst morning aspect nature has graced humans with—worse than morning breath could ever be.

Your bladder was calling for relief.

In a desperate attempt to make a run to the en-suite bathroom, you wriggled beneath the vampire’s arms (taking a short moment to admire the veins running along them before proceeding your mission). However, he snug his arms around your waist, still clad in the heavy duvets. “Is everything alright?”

Glancing at his slivering pout, you internally cursed Sebastian for asking you for a late night tea session. “Don’t worry, I just need to use the toilet real quick.”

Instead of releasing you, he only pulled you closer, the blankets forcing you back onto the mattress into an ungrateful burrito-like form.

“It’s too cold and early to stand up.”

No matter how much you wriggled within his tight lock, he didn’t relinquish his siege on your body and only continued to press you to his chest.

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Reason and rationality were apparently not included in the monsieur’s dictionary. “Napoleon Bonaparte,” you craned your neck as far back as possible, “if you don’t let me go right now, I WILL consider peeing all over you.”

That seemed to stupefy him, granting you enough time to roll out of his reach as he processed your outburst. He could only blink as you sprinted past him, throwing the door into its hinges behind you.

Napoleon stared, stunned, after his girlfriend, perplexed—if not amused—by your unusual ways. Nevertheless, he had enjoyed the show, laughing as he buried himself into your pillow, feeling luckier than ever to be loved by someone so endearingly unique and adorable.

Tag list: @juminly @kisara-16 @sweetlittlemouse @thesirenwashere @nad-zeta @delicateikemenmemes

[megan0013]

Chuckin’ a ⭐️ your way.

Sorry this took so long to answer! I wasn’t sure if I wanted to share or not, but then I realized VARIABLES is never going to get to this point anyway (though I’m halfway done with chapter six) so I might as well write out my thoughts and send them off into the universe.

That being said - this is more of a 1,350 word abridged and super self-indulgent ending than a “Director’s Cut”.

Jim goes into the Darklands months after he does in canon; thus, Gunmar doesn’t take over Trollmarket until Barbara is near the end of her pregnancy. And, unfortunately, she happens to be in the middle of an appointment with Vendel (who does not die) when the coup takes place. She’s recognized immediately as the Trollhunter’s mother and is taken captive after Otto tells Gunmar that Morgana would be most interested in a human/changeling hybrid. Gunmar considers it for a moment, and then appoints the poor polymorph as Barbara’s keeper. Which is how she’s able to stay healthy(-ish) throughout her imprisonment.

Fast forward a couple weeks, and Morgana is finally freed. One of her first orders of business is to go goad the Trollhunter’s incarcerated mother. She walks into the medical dwelling (where Barbara has been kept), monologuing, and then freezes.

“Gwen?”

“Uhhh… No. My name is Barbara Lake.”

But Morgana is convinced Barbara is the reincarnation of her long-lost love (I think they used the same character model, so that’s what this is based on) and decides that, as the mother of all changelings and Gwen’s lover, she’s entitled to keep/raise this baby.

Meanwhile…

Team Trollhunter is freaking the fuck out.

Especially when they’re in the middle of planning a rescue and Strickler’s face suddenly scrunches, and - oh, holy shit - the baby’s coming. There’s a fun scene in which Strickler is in absolute agony and, somehow, Toby winds up holding his hand.

“Omigosh! Breathe, Strickler! Breathe! You’re having a baby!”

“Do I look like I have the equipment to give birth, Domzalski? Fuck off!”

“I’m hurt, Strickler. Wounded.”

Abruptly, all the pain stops.

But then a feeling of fear, and exhaustion, and unparalleled love overwhelms him as the bond moves from a physical connection to an emotional one.

“It’s too late,” he says. “We’re too late.”

They’re not too late, and within twenty-four hours they (Strickler, Claire, and Aaarrrgghh) manage to infiltrate Trollmarket. Strickler finds Barbara. They have a very panicked reunion - “Oh my. That’s  my daughter, and I’m so happy but we must get you out of here right fucking now.” - before Claire portals them to the hospital, where Nik and a very specifically picked team are not-so-patiently waiting.

Morgana is pissed.

Anyway. There are a few complications but, ultimately, both mom and baby are okay. Barbara is sedated to help her heal (which is probably not something that happens irl, but let’s pretend - ok?), so Strickler is able to get some good bonding time in with his daughter while trying to keep up with Jim’s persistent, panicked texts.

At one point, Nik tells Strickler to go home for a few hours. He does, but only stays long enough to shower and pack a bag before heading back to the hospital - with Jim in tow. There’s a lovely brother/sister moment, and then Barbara wakes up and there’s an even lovelier brother/sister/mom/dad moment.

Jim goes home and instantly agrees to Merlin’s terms, while Strickler tries to talk Barbara into leaving town with the baby. She’s not having it. At all.

“Have you forgotten I’m the one person Morgana wants alive?”

Toby texts later that evening to see if they’ve heard from Jim. Barbara freaks and Strickler goes to join in the search for him. It’s a very tense day, followed by a very tense evening and a super awkward conversation in Barbara’s hospital room at 3 am wherein Jim starts gnawing absently on a stethoscope.

All this happens while Morgana is plotting out how best to bring forth the Eternal Night, betray Gunmar, and get her little ‘family’ back. She summons Otto (the changelings aren’t slaughtered, btw, and some of them are pretty sympathetic toward Strickler after seeing him around town actually living what they thought was only a fantasy life) and instructs him to kidnap the baby.

“You want me to… to steal Stricklander’s daughter?”

“Were you not listening? No, I want you to bring me the child that is rightfully mine. Her mother will surely follow.”

He’s hesitant but goes to do as he’s told.

Only, he doesn’t get a very good look at Nik when they pass in the hallway and winds up getting a few of his features wrong. Which probably wouldn’t matter if he were trying to trick anyone else, but Barbara and Nik have known each other since 8th grade and she calls him out almost immediately.

“You’re the polymorph. Otto, right? Walt’s told me so much about you.”

“He has?”

“Of course. He said you two used to be close - like brothers. In my book, that makes you family. Would you like to meet your niece?”

And, just like that, the Lake’s adopt another changeling.

Something Strickler is most skeptical of when he returns to the hospital a few hours later to find them chatting about some dumb stunt he’d pulled back in the early 1600’s. Nomura meets up with them, too, and the four manage to hash out a stupid, harebrained scheme to keep Morgana distracted up to, and during, the final showdown with Jim.

(I haven’t quite thought out all the specifics yet, but the plan includes Nomura in a glamour mask and Otto squeezing into a teeny, tiny little shape - so, you can guess where that’s going)

Anyway.

Barbara and baby are released from the hospital after three nights (might be two, idk, we’re playing fast and loose with the timeline here). They get home, entertain a few unexpected guests, host some impromptu strategy sessions, and then settle in for a small family meal that Strickler prepares in the hopes of bridging the gap from Jim’s old human palette to his new troll one. It goes over way better than canon, that’s for sure.

Later, after Jim has left to prepare for battle and the baby is finally down, a teary-eyed Barbara asks Strickler if he’s willing to stay with her that night. He jumps at the chance, because…

They still aren’t together.

They’ve ‘shared a bed’ once or twice since he moved in, but those were moments of passion and need that had only ever manifested into miscommunication and more. mcfreaking. yearning.

(They were roommates, anyone?)

And now? Well, this is definitely one of those moments. But with sex off the table, and a newborn two feet away, and the end of the world looming - maybe he should just tell Barbara how he feels about her?

“If something happens and I don’t come home tomorrow, I need you to know… My feelings for you haven’t changed. I’m still hopelessly in love with you.”

Of course, she feels the same.

Vows are made, kisses are exchanged, and they manage to get a few hours of rest before their daughter starts grumbling in her sleep.

The next day dawns bright and beautiful, and before Strickler leaves for battle Barbara wishes him good luck. He kisses her, then the baby, and says:

“This is all the luck I need.”

Or something like that.

(Because I think this kid’s name is Felicity [meaning ‘happiness’, and derived from felicitas meaning ‘luck, good fortune’]? Though, I might have just left it as Rory for consistency’s sake. Fun Fact: Rory is short for Aurora [Goddess of the Dawn], which I thought was a fitting name for a changeling to give their daughter.)

Ok, back to the story.

Everything, surprisingly, goes according to plan. Morgana is sufficiently distracted by Merlin and Aaarrrgghh, then by Otto and Nomura long enough for Jim to vanquish the Skullcrusher once and for all. But then she catches a whiff of the changeling magic surrounding Otto and Nomura. Everything sorta goes to hell after that.

True to canon, however, Team Trollhunter wins in the end by trapping Morgana in the Shadow Realm.

But only after Strickler sacrifices himself to save Jim’s life.

…

Joking.

They all live happily ever after.

(Until, ignoring Wizards altogether, Morgana breaks free a few years later and kidnaps the one changeling who isn’t a product of her magic, and is thus impervious to her mind control. Hijinks ensue. Morgana is rather pleased when the kid’s parents show up to rescue her.)

[muthaz-rapapa]

Let’s talk TroPreCure! (^∀^ 🌺)

i’m so stupidly proud of this dumb pun “tropurikyua~”, hahahahaha

Last post of the year and wow is there are lot to be excited for!

I even had to make a list for the stuff I want to talk about and I’m sure I already forgot one or two things but we’ll get to them as we continue to float~ along the wave to February 28th, mmkay? :)

Now for what has peaked my interest so far. And yes, we have to talk about the following first:

1) HealPre the shortest Precure season??

Unless they plan for double features in February (which I doubt but you never know), HealPre is likely going to reach only 45 episodes long instead of the usual 48~50 before TroPre I’m using this shortening of the title for now so if there’s a better alternative, tell me and I’ll switch out begins its broadcast.

Understandable because the producers probably want to get back to their normal scheduling as soon as possible (toy sales, y’know) and I suspect pushing the start of the new season back by a month is the most they’re willing to compromise.

As for me, I’m quite happy about this since HealPre’s lost its hold on my attention a while ago so the sooner TroPre gets here, the better. Though the downside might be a scrambled climax and a rushed, underwhelming ending for HealPre (I dunno if it’s January’s titles that feel a bit messy or if the hiatus is still throwing me off) but whatever. We’ll refresh ourselves with the new blood Cures so it’s all good.

2) Tropical movie announced for Autumn 2021, no All Stars??

(source)

First saw this mentioned on Youtube somewhere but it’s all over the fandom forums by now. I mean, HealPre’s movie is set for March, the usual time slot for All Stars release. If Toei intended for there to be an All Stars in 2021, there’s no way they would announce the seasonal movie before it so speculations of them skipping it this year are probably true.

To squeeze it somewhere between March and October-ish would force them to readjust their budgets as well and I don’t think even Toei wants to go through that extra hassle after all the trouble the pandemic’s caused for everyone already. It’s just easier to resume All Stars in 2022.

That, and I think Laura being a major character in TroPre despite not having a Cure title (yet) would make for an awkward situation when the three latest teams gather so perhaps that’s also one of the reasons. But I’ll get back to Laura in a bit.

3) Cure Summer is a RAINBOW Cure

So god help me if I see anyone calling her a Pink Cure.

Yes, she’s the lead Cure for this season. NO, she is not a Pink Cure.

Look, even the official website has a rainbow overlay for her profile pic and text font while everyone else’s respective theme colors are a solid hue:

Therefore, RAINBOW.

In promotional material and merchandising, they’re probably going to advertise her primarily with pink bah and at worst, she might occasionally be labeled as a White Cure with multiple subcolors (her outfit is not pink-dominant) but definitely NOT. PINK.

...also, this goes without saying but f***yea, we finally got a lead Cure practically and unabashedly wearing the LGBTQ flag and you cannot tell me otherwise, Toei!

Own up to it! Declare Manatsu/Cure Summer as the Precure queer icon!

I’m not gonna stop yellin’ until you do! 😠

4) Laura = obvious midseason Cure is obvious

First of all, Laura is a babe. I already love her the best and she’s not even Precure yet. <3

Anyways, the set-up is pretty much in the description. Important main character who’s not a mascot, stated to have a self-confident personality and just speaks her mind (oooh, I like~ :D), magical/foreign being from another world looking for Precure to save her home, possesses her own special item(s), has aspirations to become the next Queen (so she’s a princess-candidate or something to that effect, I suppose).

We’ve seen various combinations of these traits in past midseason (and a few starter) Cures so nobody should be surprised when we all guessed that one of the Cures would be a real live mermaid.

The only question is why not just make Laura a Cure from the get-go if she’s introduced to us at the beginning (like Hime or Lala) and having a team of five with no unnecessary extra add-ons later on (like Smile).

Well, there’s a simple answer for that: formula.

Toei is afraid that if they don’t spit out some new animation sequence at the halfway and third quarter points of the show, the kids will lose interest and abandon the series altogether. Which means failed toy sales. Oh nooo... [/sarcasm]

...Yea. 

And this way they can also have Laura available in the Cure lineup for the next All Stars in 2022 instead of making her sit the fight out if we were going to have one in 2021. I’m convinced that’s gotta be one of the reasons. *shrug*

But ok, whatever. Her debut is gonna be later, that’s all. She’s a delayed Cure.  Midseason Cure, same difference.

Moving along to the more important stuff now like what’s her Cure name gonna be, y/y?

Well, knowing Toei, a translation of the term “mermaid” into another language is the most predictable route even though we already have a Cure Mermaid. Not like that ever stopped them from repeating words before (ex. Cure Happy vs Cure Felice). Though if they do go down that road, I hope they opt for the Spanish/Italian “sirena” and not the French “sirène” because the latter sounds too close to how Cure Selene is pronounced in Japanese. And, putting it nicely, we all know Japanese pronunciation of foreign words is as off kilter as can be.

Hell, even the the Portuguese “sereia” sounds aesthetic as hell so it’d be nice if they can just remember there are other languages that exist out there besides Japanese, English and French when making the final decision at the writing table! *stomps foot* >:/

Alternatively, “nereid” or “naiad” are good choices too but they remind me too much of Greek myths and Laura’s from the Grand Ocean which covers more than just a couple of seas (Greece is surrounded by three, btw) so...

I dunno. But whatever it’s gonna be, she’s definitely got a strong association with water and her powers will probably be based on that.

As for theme color, since there’s noticeably no blue or green Cure in the starter lineup, it’s likely she will take up that spot when she debuts around ep 20.

Pink is also open since Cure Summer, again, is technically not a Pink Cure and Laura’s hair and tail fin are hot and light pink respectively but looking at Laura’s design and concept, does anyone seriously believe that?

Her upper torso consists of aquamarine while the body of her tail is definitely some shade of cyan, implying they’re aiming for somewhere around the middle of green and blue on the lighter spectrum.

And yea, I’m aware that green and blue are considered exchangeable in some perspectives with how close some of their shades are to each other but officially, I think Laura’s gonna be grouped with the Green Cures.

Cuz of the hair. If Laura’s gonna keep it the same or a similar shade after transforming, that is. The Blues have always had cool-colored hair so putting Laura in with them might disrupt that harmony whereas if you put her with the few Greens there are (including Parfait), she’d fit right in.

I mean, we’ll see but that makes the most sense, doesn’t it?

On another note, I just want to say that I love how they added frills to her arms instead of letting her elbows go bare naked. It definitely makes her look more like a genuine mermaid than if she didn’t have them (remember, half fish doesn’t mean half the body :P).

5) Magical Items

Frankly, I’m tired of seeing the transformation device being a compact again even though one of the main motifs is make-up this season. But at least, as far as Precure compacts goes, the Tropical one is my favorite cuz of how cute and delightfully colorful its toy version looks! So I guess I’m okay with it.

The Heart Rouge Rod, though? ...I dunno. I think it would’ve been fine without that...straw (?) jutting out at the top. It looks weird, doesn’t it look weird? :S

As for the collectible clip-ons, I can live without those for the rest of my life. Yeesh.

Laura’s items, the Aqua Pot and the Ocean Prism Mirror.

Again with the portable, travel-size housing. *sigh* 😩

Alright, I can let this year slide cuz Laura (I’m so soft for her, omg) probably won’t be getting legs for 20 weeks so she’s got to move about on land somehow. But unless they’re really thinking about turning this idea of carrying your apartment around in your bag/pocket/purse into a reality (cuz that would be effin’ awesome), please be more creative with your toys.

On the other hand, I’m much more interested in the Ocean Prism Mirror but from what Kusyami (the Precure merchandise reviews I follow on Youtube) said in his latest vid, this is the ED dance item so don’t know if it’ll actually have an relevance to the story or not. But I did hear him mention it having something to do with the Queen as well and since Laura wishes to become Queen, maybe it’ll be important after all? Maybe it’s her transformation device?

That’d be super cool. Let’s continue the trend of the midseason Cure having a different transformation item than the starters. Honestly, we should alternate every other year or two but we’ve gone three seasons with all of them using the same henshin gimmicks up till HealPre and I just want a break from that.

6) Fin sleeves??

These look so impractical for combat so maybe it’s exclusive to group attacks.

And/or a sort of precursor to the super forms?

*GASP* Does that mean they all eventually turn into mermaids? 🤩

7) Yui finally became Precure!! 😭

lol, it’s all crack from this point on so don’t take it too seriously but man, after Yuni’s deceptive braids, I thought I wasn’t gonna see anything that reminded me of Yui for a while and lo behold, Sango.

kehehehehehe xD;

Though Yui might be closer to Minori in terms of personal interests (fairytales and storybooks).

8) Akira, the actual Onee-chan version

I didn’t think this when I first saw her but once I read “Onee-san” in her profile, there’s no saving you now. Sorry, Asuka. 😅

Also, damn, do her sandals make her feet look big! Compare them to the heels she wears as Flamingo. Are they even the same?! lololol

9) ...this sounds awfully familiar...

Translation:

Tokimeku Tokonatsu! [Exciting/Thrilling Everlasting Summer!] Cure Summer! Kirameku Hoseki! [Sparkling Jewel!] Cure Coral!  Hirameku Fuurutsu! [Flashing Fruit!] Cure Papaya!

Japanese reiteration:

Mallow/Mao: Pink no tokimeki! Lillie: Blue no kirameki! Lana/Suiren: Yellow no kagayaki!

….........

@Toei 

Care to explain yourselves, punks?! 

୧(ʘ ∀ ʘ ╬)

[gyakutengagotoku]

GS4 vs AJ:AA - Episode 1, Part 1

Look, guys! I’m being productive again! Hooray, it feels exhausting just as I remember it did!

As done before, every post I make will contain differences between the source Japanese and localized English versions of the same game, as well as further details about them, up to the following “To be continued...” screens and eventually the ending credits. As always, there are so many ways the localization can dress up certain lines in the original script to make them into jokes or at least more colorful, so I’m not going to pick out every one. It would take us an eternity longer than my hiatuses to finish otherwise.

To think it took a freakin’ indie game that's like Mafia but with astronauts and tasks to bring me back to the Ace Attorney community and back to my blog’s roots. Is this what they mean by “Circle of Life”? All I know is that I’m constantly running around in circles, both metaphorically and literally.

--

> Court Lobby

<Kristoph> やれやれ。ずいぶんカタくなってる みたいだね。 You look tense, Justice. Wound up tight.

<Apollo> そ。そんなコトないです！ カンゼンに大丈夫ですから、オレ！ W-Wound up, sir? No! I'm loose! I'm fine!

<Kristoph> 声がウラ返ってるよ‥‥ まあ。ムリもないかな。 That screeching noise... Is that your voice? I suppose it's to be expected...

初めての法廷が、殺人事件と��。 まさしく“オドロキ”ってヤツだね。 Your first trial, and it's a homicide. I guess "Justice" doesn't start small, eh?

Enter Apollo's signature "I'm fine!" catchphrase, or as it's originally known, "Daijobu desu!"

In the third box, "ウラ返ってる" from 裏返る (uragaeru) in this context is translated fairly, though it specifically refers to a "crack in falsetto" kind of squeak or screech. (Yes, squeaky Apollo.) Now, it's interesting to note uragaeru in a different context can also mean "to double-cross". To be fair, it's also a common phrase, like being "betrayed" by your own cracking voice, but the foreshadowing power...

In the fourth box, yes, they changed the name puns to suit the localized name. Kirihito (Kristoph) is just saying what a "surprise" it is for his first trial to be a murder case.

>

<???> たしか、きみは‥‥ So, you're...

<Apollo> あ、ハイ！ オレ、大丈夫ですッ！ Fine! I-I'm fine!

<???> ああ‥‥“大丈夫くん”か。 Ah... Mr. Fine, is it?

<Apollo> え。 Uh.

<???> 変わった名前だとは覚えていた。 I did remember you having an odd name.

<Apollo> （さっそく、ゴカイされちまった） (Well, we're off to a great start.)

I'm just putting this here to assure everyone that Nick does first call him "Daijobu-kun".

>

<???> そろそろ時間だ。‥‥行こうか。 It's time. Shall we?

<Apollo> は、はいッ！ Y-Yes, sir!

<Apollo> （‥‥そうさ。 　今は、とにかく集中するんだ） (...OK. I need to focus.)

（オレの‥‥王泥喜　法介の、 　初めての法廷に！） (First trial, here comes Justice!)

I want to comment on how catchy Apollo's other lesser-known catchphrase is. Poor Odoroki doesn't have anything as cool as this.

> Courtroom

<Kristoph> 弁護士は、依頼人の希望を最優先 させなければなりません。 A defense attorney must always cede to his client's wishes.

この王泥喜くんは、依頼人の ご指名なのですよ。 And my client specifically requested Mr. Justice.

<Judge> ふむう‥‥わかりませんな。 Well, of course he wants justice!

現在、最高の弁護士と言われる 牙琉　霧人（がりゅうきりひと）。 But to entrust his case to this greenhorn... Why?

それをさしおいて、 こんなワカモノがねえ‥‥ I do not exaggerate when I say that you're the best defense attorney in town, Mr. Gavin.

<Apollo> （だ、大丈夫。発声練習の���なら、 　先生にも負けないさ！） (OK, so Gavin's got trial experience, fine. But does he have Chords of Steel!?)

I just love this line from Apollo. Perfect timing and delivery. Odoroki's line is good too, though comes off as a tad more innocent: "I-It's fine. When it comes to  vocal training, even Sensei can't beat me!" Though I have to say the image of Kristoph screaming during voice training is too funny to pass up.

> Enter Defendant

<Judge> まことにザンネンです。 This is truly an unfortunate turn of events.

ひさしぶりの対面が、 このようなカタチになるとは。 I'm sorry we had to meet again under these circumstances.

‥‥成歩堂　龍一 （なるほどうりゅういち）くん。 Long time no see, Mr. Wright.

<Phoenix> 忘れてほしいですね、 ムカシのことは。 Let's put the past behind us, shall we?

今のぼくは‥‥そう。 しがないピアニスト、ですから。 These days, I'm merely Phoenix Wright, piano player.

I may have mentioned it before, but I'll make a note here that the Hobohodo meme has its own version in the JP fandom: "ピアニート" (piani-to or pia-NEET), which is portmanteau of pianist and NEET, the most famous of Japanese government welfare programs for the unemployed. It's also slang for "hobo".

>

<Payne> これが、被害者の命を奪った凶器。 ‥‥グレープジュースのボトルです。 This is the weapon that took the victim's life. A bottle of grape juice.

彼のお気に入りで、 いつも飲んでいるようですな。 Grape juice is apparently our defendant's drink of choice.

Many of you already know, but just in case: The localizers never censored Nick's fave drink. It was the JP devs who had to work with such censors back home, but eventually they just kept it as a running gag to put non-alcoholic fruit juices in fancy wine bottles. It wasn't until SoJ when the devs could get away with featuring a bit of alcohol. Their previous game was slapped with a CERO-C (15+) due to graphic images, so Eshiro and co. were pleasantly surprised to see SoJ get the classic CERO-B (12+) again.

Not to mention, very expensive high-quality fancy fruit juices do exist in Japan and can cost way more than your usual middle-grade wines. Japan and their fancy fruit culture and all. (I forget exactly, but I recall there were plenty of group pictures of the devs on their blogs and Twitters over the years where someone had gotten them fancy bottles of fruit juice as Christmas gifts. The memes live on.)

> After 1st testimony, decline tutorial

<Apollo> 先生が出るにはおよびません！ ここは、オレでじゅうぶんッ！ No need for help here, sir! I think I've got this one covered!

<Kristoph> ‥‥“手下”みたいなセリフだね。 大丈夫ですか？ I think you'd better do more than think. You know it, or you do not.

<Apollo> （大丈夫！　 　発声練習は積んできた！） (I'm fine! The Chords of Steel are ready for battle!)

The differences here are subtle enough that I hesitated on including this, but Kirihito straight-up calls out Odoroki: "Sensei, you won't need to step up here. I'm enough for this!" "...Sounds like something someone unreliable would say. Are you going to be fine?"

> Press 4th statement

<Judge> ふむう‥‥ Hmm...

ポーカーといえば、５枚のカードで “役”を作って勝負するゲ���ム。 As I recall, in poker you make five-card "hands".

たしかに、イカサマが 起こりやすいのでしょう。 I can see how it would be easy to cheat.

<Phoenix> フッ‥‥ “役”を作るゲーム、ねえ‥‥ Heh... Yes. A game of "hands".

<Apollo> ‥‥？ ...?

Now that I find this dialogue again, it's even deeper than I'd ever thought. In both JP and EN, Phoenix's line works just as well as the other despite having different double entendres. In EN, he makes a pun between the poker hands and people's hands; while in JP, the term used is "yaku", which is normally used to refer to hands in a card/mahjong game, but in more general cases, it means "role" or "responsibility". Naturally, in this case, there are a lot of hands and roles being exchanged rather quickly.

This case is dang amazing and I regret forgetting so much of what made it spectacular.

> Press 5th statement

<Phoenix> 賭けていたのは、ただひとつ。 おのれの“プライド”だけだよ。 The only thing at stake in our game... was pride itself.

<Judge> ほほう。 なんだか、カッコイイですな！ Ho ho! Well put, Mr. Wright.

私も“ポーカー”で ヒト勝負したくなってきました。 I've got a mind to play a hand of poker myself...

<Judge> あなたの“有罪”を賭けてッ！ The stakes: your fate!

<Apollo> （“ヒト勝負”感覚で 　決められてたまるかッ！） (Um... Can we get back to the trial now?)

For once, I'm gonna go with Odoroki's line as the cooler one: "(As if we're going to decide this trial like a game of "life-or-death"!)"

> 1st witness, before testimony

<Olga> 逆居　雅香（さかいまさか） ‥‥と申します。 My name... is Olga Orly.

レストラン《ボルハチ》で ウエイトレス‥‥していますの。 I am employed as waitress in Borscht Bowl Club restaurant.

<Judge> しかし‥‥なぜ、カメラを？ Then... why the camera?

<Olga> もちろん、《ボルハチ》ジマンの ボルシチもお運びいたします。 Of course, it is my pride to serve borscht that is naming restaurant.

でも、ワタシ。他にも、いろいろ サービスをいたしますのよ。 But I also perform -- how it is said? Other service.

Just making a note here on how well Olga's lines are written. They really make it obvious that she's "not a native speaker" (for now). While in EN, they just made her English a little broken, in JP, she speaks in a very stiff and formal Japanese, as she is a waitress, but also on the occasion can sound a little off to a native speaker without being broken, per se. She also has a distinct "watashi" among a few other common words that are written in katakana to show a sort of accent.

>

<Payne> さて、証人。 事件当時は、どこに‥‥？ Now, witness. Where were you at the time of the murder?

<Olga> ワタシ、あの部屋にいたんです。 ‥‥《ナラズモの間》。 I was in room. The Hydeout, we call it.

<Apollo> “ならずものま”？ Excuse me? The Hydeout?

<Olga> 伝説のギャング“ナラズモ”が タイホされたというお部屋。 It is room where famous gangster "Badgai" was arrested.

‥‥事件があった小部屋ですの。 Is room where murder took place.

<Apollo> なんだってェェェ！ Whaaaaat!?

<Olga> ‥‥そのビックリしたカオ、 ステキです。 Your look of utter surprise... It is lovely.

あとで法廷の前に 張り出しておきますので‥‥ I will post by courtroom door later for you!

ほしい写真の番号を、みなさま お書きくださいね。 Dah, dah, photos will be numbered, and you will write which ones you want copy of.

Okay, everyone knows how bad/obvious/cringe the name puns can be in Khura'in or certain ones from AAI, but please, does anyone not remember "Badgai" here? (Tbf, I forgot too, so I'm not one to talk...)

Btw, his original name is "Narazumo", literally "ruffian", and it's completely in katakana, which makes me think it's a codename or alias. She also specifies that he was a "gangster", not yakuza as we'd assume. Japanese gangs are a bit closer to gangs that we know of in the West, especially that they're more known for foreign influence to their styles than the much more traditional yakuza.

Also, I'm disappointed there was no Odoroki pun here. Sure, she doesn't know him, so it wouldn't make sense, but still a missed opportunity. Also also, she actually talks to the rest of the court when she says "you", so she's selling photos of Apollo's freakout to everyone. Classy...

> 1st Witness Testimony, press 3rd statement

<Apollo> “ロケット”‥‥？ His "locket"...?

<Olga> あのお客さまにとっては 大切な“お守り”のようでした。 I believe it was good-luck charm, dah?

何度か握りしめながら、 勝負をされていましたから。 He gripped it many times as he played that night.

<Judge> なるほど‥‥大空へ飛び立つ チカラがみなぎるのでしょう。 Yes, he must have felt as though it might carry him to the moon and the stars!

なにしろ《ロケット》ですからな。 Though if it were small enough to fit around his neck, it wouldn't have much lift...

<Apollo> ‥‥あの。ちなみに “ロケット”というのは‥‥ Um... The defense would like a clarification: this is a locket we're talking about?

写真を入れたペンダントのコト、 なんですけどね。 I mean, a pendant with a picture in it, right? Not a "rocket"?

<Judge> 知ってます！ Of course! I knew that!

ロケットのカタチをした アレでしょう。 It was probably a pendant shaped like a rocket. That's why she called it that.

<Apollo> ちがいますよ！ カタチはカンケイないんです No, a locket's a locket! It doesn't matter what shape it is!

<Kristoph> ‥‥深追いしてはいけない。 それが、社会のルールです。 It's considered bad form to poke fun at the hard-of- hearing in our society.

<Apollo> （モヤモヤするなあ） (Hard of hearing, or hard of understanding?)

This entire conversation is just a joke on how "locket" and "rocket" are written the same way in Japanese, and I'm surprised how well it still works in English.

To clarify, Kirihito's line at the end is a bit different: "...Refraining from pursuing a line too far is a well-known rule in our society." "(Doesn't make me feel any better.)"

> After 1st Present, just before new statement added

<Apollo> （ヤレヤレ‥‥ 　慎重すぎるんだよな、先生は） (There's such a thing as thinking too much...)

（イシバシを叩いて 　コワすタイプ？） (This horse is dead, let's stop beating it!)

<Kristoph> 聞こえてますよ、オドロキくん。 There's such a thing as thinking aloud too much, too.

It's conversations like this that make me wonder if characters can actually hear what the MC is saying/whispering or if they're breaking the 4th wall to hear their thoughts. Here, it's even more ambiguous in JP than the usual between Nick and Maya in prior games. Or are they suggesting that even when Apollo is thinking, he's still loud?

> After 2nd Witness Testimony, before cross-exam

<Judge> なるほど‥‥ Ah, how many times have I heard these words:

『むしゃくしゃしてやった。 　今は後悔している』‥‥ "I done it in a fit of anger, Yer Honor, and now I regret what I done".

‥‥の、パターンですな。 ...A common tale, but true.

<Apollo> （成歩堂さ���は、ハッキリ言った。 　『７年間、負けたことがない』） (Methinks the judge watches too many old court movies.)

（‥‥この証言には、ゼッタイ 　“何か”あるはずだ！） (Mr. Wright said he hasn't lost in seven years, so this testimony must be wrong!)

I don't usually include entries for examples where the localizers dress up the text from the original, but this one here really bugs me. I'm not sure if it's a reference to some classic film or just a tip of the hat to classic American court drama movies in general.

If someone could help me pinpoint this one, please do.

> Press 2nd statement, press further

<Apollo> チップについて、くわしく 話していただけますか？ Maybe you could explain a bit about these "chips"?

<Olga> そ。そう言われましても‥‥ E-Explain? What is there to be explained?

<Objection!>

<Payne> チップはチップです。 Poker chips are poker chips.

いつまで待っても‥‥ キップにはなりませんぞ！ They're not fish and chips, not a chip off the old block, not a motorcycle cop, not a...

Okay, the "motorcycle cop" bit got me. I swear this was a popculture reference (was it a song? It sounds so familiar), but I don't remember exactly where it was from! Someone plz help.

As for the original script, Auchi makes a silly pun. "[Poker] chips are [poker] chips. No matter how long you wait... they won't become tickets!" (chips = chippu, ticket = kippu)

>

<Apollo> ‥‥はあ。 ...Thanks.

（セッカクだ。 　なにか聞かないとソンだな） (Now that I've pressed her I'd better ask something...)

たとえば‥‥そのチップ。 “円”ですか？　“ドル”ですか？ What are these chips worth? Are they in dollars? Or rubles, even?

<Olga> ‥‥あの。 先ほども申しましたけれど‥‥ ...Nyet. As I have been saying before, it was game, not gambling.

ギャンブルでは ございませんでしたから‥‥ Hard perhaps for capitalist to understand.

<Olga> “１０００点”と “１００点”の２種類。 Two types of chip: 100 points chip and 1,000 points chip.

おカネではございませんの。 It is not money, dah.

<Kristoph> ‥‥オドロキくん。 ...Justice.

<Apollo> はいッ！ Sir!

<Kristoph> 今の証言‥‥ ちょっと、おもしろいですね。 Don't you find her comment... interesting?

<Apollo> え‥‥ In more ways than one, sir.

<Kristoph> 私ならば‥‥そう。 証言に加えていただくところですが。 I'd have it added to her testimony, myself.

As funny as that capitalist line is, it's not found in the source, sorry, guys. Her text in Japanese is very formal, so it takes an extra box just to complete her sentence.

Also, worth to note that Odoroki here mentions yen and dollars, but not rubles, despite the restaurant being Russian-themed. Whether it's writer oversight or just Odoroki being uncultured will remain a mystery.

Lastly, Apollo's last line here makes him seem quite confident, but in the original, he seems just as confused as ever. This is made clearer when Apollo later presses the new statement.

> Press new statement

<Apollo> あの。小さい方が１００点、 大きい方が１０００点‥‥ Um. The small ones are 100, and the big ones 1,000...

で、いいんですよね。やっぱり。 Uh? Right? Right. Of course.

<Payne> フン！　 聞くまでもないでしょう。 Hah! Don't waste our time!

<Apollo> はあ‥‥ *sigh*

‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ ...

<Judge> 終わりですか？　それで。 Is that all?

<Apollo> ええ、まあ。 Um... Yeah. *gulp*

（くそ。牙琉先生のせいで 　ハジをかいちまったぞ‥‥） (Great. Mr. Gavin made me stop her, and now I'm the one who looks dumb.)

<Kristoph> オドロキくん。 Oh, Justice?

<Kristoph> 私にハジをかかせないで もらえますか？ Please try not to embarrass me like that.

<Apollo> え！　オレがですか！ Huh? Who? Me!?

The subtleties of this joke conversation were lost in translation. After Apollo wastes time with that question, he grumbles to himself: "(Damn. Thanks to Garyu-sensei, I've made a fool of myself.)" "Odoroki-kun. Would you please not pin this embarassment on me?" "Huh! Me!?"

> After Present, select "Number of chips"

<Apollo> おかしいのは、チップの枚数‥‥ ですよね、先生？ The odd thing here is the number of chips... Right, Mr. Gavin?

<Kristoph> ‥‥なぜ、私に？ ...Why are you asking me?

<Apollo> その。念のため、というか！ Uh... Just in case?

<Kristoph> ‥‥オドロキくん。 もう少し、キチンと考えましょう。 Justice... It's your case I'm concerned about.

チップなら、写真を見れば すべて、写っています。 If you're wondering about the chips, just look at the photograph. It's all there.

老眼の裁判長さんでも カンタンに数えられますよ。 Even our judge with his failing eyesight could count them.

<Apollo> （‥‥あの裁判長なら、それでも 　まちがえるような気がする‥‥） (That's not the only thing failing the judge.)

Damn, what a burn. Odoroki in the OG script simply went: "(...Knowing this judge, he could get even that wrong...)" which is a fair effort, but not a wildfire level of damage.

> 3rd Witness Testimony, press 4th

<Apollo> 口論の内容は、おぼえてますか？ Do you recall what the men were arguing about?

<Olga> そうですね。たしか‥‥ Dah, I believe so...

被害者サマが『イカサマだッ！』と 叫びましたの。それに対して‥‥ The victim, he shouts, "you are cheater!" and then...

“異議がある”というようなコトを 被告人さまが‥‥ ...the defendant shouts something like, "I have objection!"

<Payne> ‥‥出ましたな。 おトクイの《異議あり！》が。 Shouting objection, eh? Old habits are hard to break!

まったく‥‥ハッタリづくしの 人生ですからな。被告人は。 First he bluffed his way through the courtroom, now he bluffs his way through life!

<Objection!>

<Apollo> しかし！　勝負の結果は、 成歩堂さんが“負けている”！ However! Mr. Wright lost the hand!

むしろ、アヤシイのは、 勝った被害者・浦伏さんでしょう！ That seems to cast the shadow of doubt on Mr. Smith!

<Olga> “イカサマをやった上、 　勝負にも負けた”‥‥ Humiliation from losing even when cheating...

そのクツジョクが、被告人の方の ココロに、火をつけたのですの。 That is what set fire to defendant's heart!

<Judge> ‥‥そして、火のついた 被告人は、どうしたのですかな？ So what did the flaming defendant do next?

Oh my God, as soon as I saw that "異議がある" (igi ga aru) my mind flashed back to those ridiculous Google Translated trailers of Gyakuten Saiban & Kenji on Nico Douga. Imagine if the devs at the time decided to play with Google Translate to see how "異議あり！" would look after switching it from Japanese to English and back. It would be one of the biggest brain plays by a game developer ever... which probably means it wasn't how it went, but it's fun to think about.

Anyway, I also like this snippet of dialogue for the judge's "flaming defendant", clearly alluding to "Phoenix" Wright. In JP, the bit about setting fire to his heart is just a common idiom in the first place, but who knows? “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney” had been selling fast in the West, so they could have been inspired.

> After Present, point out on the cards, examine victim's hand

<Apollo> 裁判長！　見てください！ 被害者のカードには、１枚‥‥ Your Honor! Look at this! One of the victim's cards...

ウラの色がちがうカードが まぎれこんでいますッ！ The back is a different color!

<Payne> え‥‥ええええッ！ Eh...? Ehhhhhh!?

<Olga> そ。そんなバカなッ！ Th-That's impossible!

アタシがシカケたのは、 成歩堂のほうなのに‥‥ But I put that card in Wright's hand...

あッ！ Ack!

<Kristoph> ‥‥今、なんと言いましたか、証人。 ...What was that, Ms. Orly?

<Olga> い‥‥いえ‥‥その。 アタシ‥‥わ、私は、ええと‥‥ No... Ny-Nyet! Er, I merely said, eh... Dah, I have, eek!

It's at this point when Olga's cover is blown, and in JP, it's more obvious because she stammers between using "atashi" vs "watashi". It's not very common to hear beginner Japanese students refer to themselves as the cutesy "atashi", though one who's a bit more well versed in the language or in anime may pick up on it.

> After Phoenix takes over the court, select when the cards were swapped, select "Olga Orly" who swapped them

<Phoenix> たしかに、あのゲームでは赤・青の ２種類のカードを使っていた。 Mixing a card from the wrong deck... when the backs are different colors?

しかし‥‥逆居　雅香は、 カードを配っていた張本人。 Remember that you're talking about Olga Orly... She was the dealer.

‥‥そんなミスを すると思うかい？ Do you really think she would make such a novice mistake?

<Apollo> （まあ‥‥オレでも 　まちがわないだろうな） (Actually, I have trouble imagining even the judge making that mistake.)

This is another case of the localizers dressing it up. Odoroki says here: "(Well... even I wouldn't make such a mistake.)" as if implying that he's the lowest common denominator here, haha!

> Back to Court Lobby

<Phoenix> 人間の思考・感情というものは ‥‥かならず。 Try as they might to conceal it, everyone reveals their true thoughts in the end.

身体から“情報”として 発信されている。 Their body language can become a valuable source of information.

<Apollo> そ。そんなバカな‥‥ You're kidding!

<Phoenix> たとえば。あの証人‥‥ 逆居　雅香を思い出してごらん。 That witness, for instance, Ms. Orly.

<Phoenix> 彼女は、ある証言をするとき‥‥ かならず“首筋をさする”。 She would touch the back of her neck during certain parts of her testimony.

‥‥気がついていたかい？ Did you notice?

<Apollo> い。いえ‥‥ （それどころじゃないよ、フツー） Uh... No. (C'mon, who'd notice that!?)

<Phoenix> “クセ”“コトバ”‥‥ それらが発する情報を読み解くこと。 Words, habits, twitches... It's all information for the reading.

それが、勝負に勝つ “鉄則”だよ、オドロキくん。 That's the secret to winning, Apollo.

まあ‥‥ぼくも“ある人物”に 教わったんだけどね。 Someone taught me, and now, I pass the secret on to you.

It's this quiet moment between the two of them that really parallels with how Mia used to talk with Phoenix, and it's beautifully poetic. And I'd like to note that even Phoenix's speech pattern throughout this convo is quite reminiscent of how Mia talked, but with a bit of Phoenix's own style. Though in that last line, he could possibly have meant Mia, but more likely meant a certain someone with a similar power to Apollo. Ya'll know who I mean, (W)right?

>

<Phoenix> ああ。それから、もうひとつ。 今回の事件だけどね。 Ah, almost forgot. One more thing. About this case...

ぼくはまだ、誰にも “本当のコト”を話してないんだよ。 You should know, I haven't told the truth to anyone yet.

<Apollo> えええええッ！ （や、やっぱり‥‥） Whaaaaaaaa--!? (I knew it!)

<Phoenix> もちろん、“理由”がある。 これからアキラカになるだろう。 I have my reasons, of course. All shall be revealed.

そして、ぼくの作戦には‥‥ きみが必要なんだよ。 And Apollo... I need you to be there, defending me.

きみの“能力”が、ね。 I need your power.

<Apollo> オレの、のうりょく‥‥ （声のデカさ、か‥‥？） My, um, power? (I had no idea my Chords of Steel were that special...)

The translation here is close enough, really, but Odoroki specifically describes it as the "intensity" of his voice and it's only the best answer.

--

Welp, I guess it’s back to the drafting board again and I may make this out as a daily or every-other-daily upload. We’ll see. I assure you, you won’t be waiting until next month, though!

[hedgefairy]

Well hello there. While I'm waiting for that breeches video I've been talking about to finally upload, here's

Bridgerton, Episode 4

Phew, half time!

If you've missed the other ones, the tag is Bridgerbore, btw.

Okay, so we start of with Dukey who's going home-ish because drama and heartbreak in the last episode. Stop pretending, nobody takes your pouting seriously! We all know it's twu wuv!

Erm. So, I know, I'm white and this is a delicate matter, but I gotta say I'm not super happy about the whole POC-justifying explanation here. I'd much rather have no explanation at all, it worked perfectly well in Merlin, and this is just as much historically inspired fantasy just with less magic, which I'm honestly quite upset about. I'd be far more okayer with the costumes and overall ugh-ness if there was magic.

But honestly, I'm not a fan of shoehorning that explanation in (it doesn't seem to come up in the books, either, where everyone is basically a baguette in terms of whiteness). The fact that the implications aren't discussed any further makes it even worse. We're talking about the British empire here, and while POC are apparently part of the society (but with more pressure, which... no, this is not how nobility works) the wealth and luxury of this age still stems from the exploitation of POC everywhere else. How isn't there a revolution going on? How is this not talked about? From all I see, Bridgerton is a fluffy, pastel, nice alternate version of the 1800s, and I don't get why anyone would put politics in there instead of just doing what TV tropes refers to as "colourblind casting" and be done with it. Either you do the alternate history thing thoroughly, or you just cast people for being pretty (and maybe good actors) instead of the idea the audience might have about a character's skin colour and have weird costumes and just roll with it.

Also the Queen's marriage seems to suck. I would have liked a deeper, more heartbreaking connection between George III and her, especially because I saw how my Grandmother suffered when she gradually lost my Grandfather to dementia, and it would have been a scene where we could see Charlotte as a person rather than a weird plot device in tafetta and bling, but no, she just seems as annoyed and bored and snappish as ever.

This is getting far too serious. Where's the snark?

We get some Tchaikovsky in the background, which is weird, tbh. Yes, I'm perfectly fine with them covering Top 40s hits and using waltzes from the 1950s, but I draw the line at something from the second half of the 19th century! It's not right! It screams its time of origin all over the place, and even worse, most of the characters would probably actually get to hear it later in their lives, it's not a decent anachronism, it just feels like bad research! This is serious business!

No really, where's the snark?

Oooh, I get it now. That was when I was really, really done with bingeing this show. Yes, I tried to get through as much of it as possible in one sitting. The notes read, in very shaky handwriting

I cannot possibly take more than that

in one day

, so let's continue a few days later when I felt like I could muster the courage to face it again.

So yes, I'm pretty sure this waltz is to young for this show.

Aww, look at that, flirting over cheese! I also like that one of the Featherington girls (I can't really tell the non-Pennys apart) has a suitor, they deserve nice things, too.

The musicians are a mood.

WTF with the hair and the strass. We don't like the strass. Make it go away.

I love Prince Freddy. The poor boy. It's doomed from the start!

Ah, Dukey (also at the ball, even though he was whining about things earlier) gets a heartbeat in the background, because twu wuv.

Middle Bridgerbro goes and meets with the Bohéme. I want more of that! That's finally interesting! That's my people! There's a cool bohemian lady with a pretty dress! People look interesting! Aaaah!

There's a random 18th century burlesque singer at this Regency ball, we need to talk about this. Oooh, it's Opera Girl! Cue Lord B turning into even more of an idiot while Ma Bridgerton tries to hook him up otherwise.

Of course Philippa (that's one of the Featherington Girls) can't possibly have anything nice. Thanks, Dad. You don't get to marry someone you like, that's the people across the street's thing! (by which I of course mean the Bridgertons, just in case anyone forgot the location layout here.)

Eloise is being weird to the housekeeper.

"Are you not supposed to be the smart one", the housekeeper retorts and I'm feeling it, followed by a "WTH, hero" about how servants are too busy to be Gossip Girl, you privileged prat. I think I actually snorted.

Penny gossips with Ducktail Colin, but he's more interested in Cousin, whose dress looks like it was made from the cheap curtains my ex best friend had in his first semester at uni, and God, I hate Daphne's kerchief.

Poor Prince Freddie is trying to propose to Protagonis Girl but of course there's Dukey in the background so she simply must run outside as dramatically as possible where he can find her as she equally dramatically rips the necklace Freddie gave her from her milky white throat. P&P-ish banter ensues. Yawn.

Dukey: * broods *

Daphne: * dramatically exits *

Dukey: * romantically follows her*, and oooh, snogging ensues, oooooh, instant second base, but Bridgerbro the Eldest (known also as Lord B) intervenes.

Lord B: "Marry her!"

Dukey: "I can't!"

Lord B: "Bitch!"

Dukey: "I can't!"

Lord B: "I want satisfaction!"

Me: "Don't we all"

Daphne: "You'd rather die than marry me?!"

(the fuck with her hair)

Middle Bridgerbro is still at the Bohéme-party, and still draws (naked people!). Gay vibes ensue, it's cute. This is Netflix after all, and it took four episodes to get some LGBTQ+ representation!

The Featherington's housekeeper looks a lot like O'Brien from Downton.

Cousin tells Penny about what a cutie Ducktail Colin is, also Penny's "night gown" is really cute (it's not a night gown. She's still wearing stays. It's also the only thing in the whole series that fits her well so far). Penny is super upset but gets interrupted by a hyperfocused Eloise. They fight, and Penny goes on about being mature and not being a "pretty Bridgerton", and that Eloise wouldn't understand. I get her, though, and really, having a perfect family and a "bad" family is such lazy writing.

Somber blah blah between Lord B and Daphne happens and Middle Bridgerbro gets dragged into it. He's informed that his life is pretty much over either way (either way being Lord B dying or being exiled for killing Dukey in the scheduled duel) because his oder bro basically just wants out of his duties. Sucks to be him.

Boxing Bro has to host a frustrated, possibly blueballed Dukey and offers himself up as a second for the duel.

Lord B goes and pleads with Opera Girl to get back with him (doooooon't) because of his little duelling plot and of course intercourse ensues. Girl, where's your self-respect?

Lord F comes into his dark study (we haven't seen much of him yet overall, he probably was too busy gambling) and hark, there's Lady F like the mafia boss I feel she should be, wo berates him about said gambling and that they're broke and how much he sucks. He starts crying, thumbs up for male vulnerability!, but it's kinda played for laughs via her awkward patting of him. Because of course (and I bet the late Daddy Bridgerton would never have lost his composure like that, but he didn't gamble, either, and these are the Featheringtons)

Lord B leaves Opera Girl for THE DUEL (I feel like this almost deserves a ™ by now).

We get gallopping horses! The drama! The panache! Daphne asks Ducktail Colin where it's going down because she wants to stop them, insert pandering feminist ranting about her choosing her own life but I don't really feel it and I wonde where her bangs go when she sleeps because her hair looks so different all of a sudden.

Lord B makes Middle Bridgerbro promise to care for Opera Girl in case he dies.

More gallopping horses! Daphne and her billowing cloak are pretty epic, to be honest, and there's Ducktail Colin on her heels. It's basically a family outing now!

Ugh, I like the seconds in this duel so much more. They should just off and go for a pint or something and leave Lord B and Dukey to their misery.

Duelling protocol ensues. Ten steps, blah blah, nice camera work, though.

Daphne full on rides into her brother's bullet, but she's fine (it would have been so dramatic, can you imagine? It would have been interesting!).

Oh no, they were seen (by her romantic rival, back when they had the dramatic make-outery in the park at the ball after the botched proposal. Sorry, Cressida is such a much better name than Daaaaphneeee. I have a RPG character called Cressida, I might be biased.), she's ruined if they don't marry!. and so she is basically emotionally blackmailing him into marrying her. But he can "never give [her] children!", and goes on how she deserves a household full of love like her family home because the Bridgertons are such a perfect family. God, they all annoy me so much.

Daphne ends the duel by saying that the Duke and her are to be married, with a pained facial expression, no less. I think I just wanna throw a pie in her face or something.

And that concludes Episode 4. That was a long one! Only four more to go! So this is

To be Continued!

Thank you for making it this far with me!

[sippingsunlight1407]

Concept of time in Two Minutes and Marbles

Last week I listened A LOT to The Horror and the Wild (the song). When the line "And I am Time itself, I slow to let you play“ came, it got me thinking about "time“ in general.

I mean, this is such a strong theme in the song. The sheer power it means - to be Time itself (for the strength theme in this song see also my other post here). The first time I listenend to this part I was totally mindblown. I noticed some aspects in the other songs as well. Since I could fill a book with this, I picked two examples for the moment. They gave me so many ideas actually.

Two minutes for example has a time designation directly in the title. If you read the title without context, you’ll certainly think about someting shortlived – and not a narrator who begs multiple times for "two damn minutes“ so he may feel fine again. 

In everyday language you use the terms "give me a moment“ / “give me two minutes“, if you are in a haste. You want to signalise the other party something will be done shortly. Alternatively you ask for two minutes, if you feel emotionally overwhelmed and have to settle again. Nevertheless that never really works, does it?

The story of this broken family alone makes clear that two minutes are not sufficient to go back to normal. Furthermore the line "These hands are growing old“ signalises that time in fact elapses.

What’s interesting is that the song’s setup supports the whole 2-minute-theme as well. Perhaps the following thought is a bit made up out of thin air but I liked the idea. At 2:35 we have the "Give me two damn minutes“, which Joey sings very staccato this time, he almost says this. 

Directly after follows the crescendo of the song, the most important part. The children calling. So powerful and emotional. Besides this is the part where it’s finally clear that the narrator obviously is NOT fine.

This is emphasized by 4:35. Here we have the last "Give me two damn minutes“, but this time the sentence is not finished. The "fine“ is missing. Please also note that this line combined with the "give me two damn minutes“ from 2:35 build the frame of the children part. On top of that: These are exactly 2 minutes of the song (2:35 to 4:35). I love this fact!

Marbles has many terms regarding time as well. This is only logical since the narrators talk about their years together and also the things to come in the future. Three examples:

"You stole the best years of my life

I’ll give them back"

These are words spoken out of anger. If you fight with your partner, you might say something rushed like this. The other one will shoot back a defiant remark for sure.

Oh and please note the parallel to The Horror and the Wild, where we have the following line: "I steal the hours and turn the night into day“ The concept of "stealing time“ also reminds me of the novel Momo where time is a currency. And in Marbles time for sure is something valued, a precious aspect, although time is clearly not a materialistic thing which can be given or taken.

"And I will wait and hope

And rest my head at night content"

Here time – the night – is personified, it almost comes across as a friend. You normally rest your head against somebody’s shoulder and so on. In this case night creates positive associations.

"I’ve loved you, for a hundred years

Certainly fucking feels like it" → The description of time is an exaggeration and such a good one. The 100 years could be seen as an exhaustingly long time span but I prefer the romantic point of view in this context. 100 years symbolise eternity. Besides this term reminds me strongly of fairy tales e.g. Sleeping Beauty where the right prince kisses her and therefore breaks the spell.

Another idea: Think about the famous novel 100 years of solitude (a true masterpiece btw!), where so much happens throughout the narrated century. And more importantly regarding this topic: Among other things the novel tells about the resolution of time and conveys the message that you should live life to the fullest. Or rather: You should at least try to make the most of it.

In the book there is one couple, which fits the relationship in Marbles so well because their relationship is stronger and more important than the struggles of the outside world. This may be a bit too much interpretation here but I just have this sudden association when listening to the line "I’ve loved you, for a 100 years“.

[deppisallyouneed]

Why I defend Johnny Depp

A while ago I did a thread on twitter about why I believed in Johnny's innocence and I think it's time to bring it here. I warn you in advance, it’s going to be a long post. 

1. First of all because just because a woman accuses a man of dv doesn't mean I'm gonna believe her without any proof. Women can be as abusive as men. Get that through your head. 

2.  Amber first asked for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences", not a single mention of the abuse. 

3. Before asking for the RO, she sent an extortion letter to his team demanding cars, money, apartments, spousal support and for him to pay all her legal fees or she would go to the media with the thing of the abuse

4. After he denied these requests she, of course, went public with the dv saying Johnny abused her mentally and physically throughout their entire relationship

5. Lets talk about the incident with his finger that happened in Australia, she wasn't even there at the time. 

6. We have then, the incident that happened on May 21 which by the way it was the same day that Doug Stanhope and his girlfriend were at Johnny's house comforting him because of his mother's death. As Doug said in his article, Johnny told them that his mood wasn't just for his mother but that now Amber was going to leave him and I quote: "threatening to lie about him publicly in any and every possible duplicitous way if he didn't agree to her terms" 

And that's exactly what happened. She sent that letter demanding all those things. He refused. She went to the media. So simple.

Going back to the incident that happened that night, THE POLICE went to their apartment and saw NO EVIDENCE of abuse. No bruises, no damaged property. NOTHING. Amber refuse to file a report.  

8. Then in May 22, the day after, she appears at a friends party and looks fine. A picture was posted on ig but was deleted. Wonder why...

9. On May 27 she goes to the court to ask for a RO with a visible bruise on her face but the day after the bruise was gone????? 

10. She said that she wanted to keep this matter out of the public eye, yet she sold pictures to People Magazine.

11. I'm gonna address here that she was arrested for domestic violence against her then partner. She went to court and was given a two year probation And of course she tried to erase her record when she met johnny. What a coincidence uh?

And don't come up to me saying that Tasya came on her defense because it was 7 years later. She didn't do shit back then to try and stop the trial. And by the way, the cop that arrested her is lesbian so your argument of "she was homophobic" doesn't fit here

12. Neighbours and people who worked on the building where they lived saw Amber with NO BRUISES on her face. Their bodyguards said she was the one who needed to be pulled off him.

13. Amber avoided her deposition 3 times. THREE TIMES. Until the judge said it was time for her to sit down and give one. First she said she couldn't because she needed to be in London for a fitting but that turned out to be false.

Then she was at her best friend engagement party (priorities) and so on. So confusing that she said she wanted to be divorced from him asap but wouldn't sit to give her deposition.

14. Johnny submitted his evidence and witnesses to the court and three days after that and a day before she could have obtained a PRO she dropped everything WITH PREJUDICE. He had police officers in his witnesses list btw

15. These are Johnny's evidence that were presented to the court. She didn't include in hers those text messages that apparently Johnny's assistant sent to her and also she didn't cite him as a witness. He was willing to testify under oath on Johnnys side. They were never verified

16. After she said she was going to donate the money to charity  (because people were calling her a gold digger), Johnny was going to send the money directly to those charities but she refused and was going to take him to court. Again, mysterious shit going on with this girl

17. During their marriage, Johnny was seen with scrathes and bruises. She hit him in that car episode, even if it was a joke, I wouldn't dare to hit the man who behind close doors makes me fear for my life. But whatever, it doesn't seem important for anybody.

18. And lets talk about the video. If you think that somebody who has been abusing his wife throughout their entire relationship is going to chose to break glasses and smash cabinets instead of hitting the person, then I don't know what to say. In the video Johnny's pissed off about something that has NOTHING TO DO WITH HER. He says it very clearly. She asks him multiple times what happened and he replies with: "Were you here this morning?". She says no and he answers: "Then nothing happened TO YOU this morning". 

He tries so hard to ignore her but she keeps asking him and trying to make the problem about her to get a violent action from him but that never happens. He doesn't even scream at her. Then she said she was sorry, what does that have to do with all of this?  And lets get this clear, he NEVER throws anything at her. He NEVER touches her.

As Johnny said in his GQ interview this fall, his mood in that moment was because he found out about his financial situation. She knew he was in a bad mood and tried to set him up. 

It's so clear that she feared for her life when she dared to ask if he had been drinking and to record him without his consent. Then he finally finds out that she was recording him and takes the phone away from her, yet he doesn't delete the video. Sounds odd to me.

19. Amber's lawyers had to apologise to Johnny because of the statement they made saying Amber was vindicated in the court of public opinion because it wasn't true. 

20. We can also talk about her controlling behavior towards him. Like in the airport where he had to say something to her so he could go and see his fans and she lets him letting his hand go with disdain. 

Or at the Black Mass premiere at TIFF where she tried to stop him from chatting with another woman and tried to pull him aside. A lot of people have said that she treated him bad, like a child. They said he loved her so much that he would do anything for her and she knew it

Johnny HAS ALWAYS DENIED THESE ALLEGATIONS. Do you really think that if he was trully guilty he would risk his reputation, the love and trust of his family friends and fans by denying the requests in that extortion letter? Makes no sense. 

Johnny’s lawyer has said Amber admitted beign violent to him and that they have evidence of her false allegations. And they seem pretty confident so, I really hope he gets the justice he deserves. 

Johnny Depp is innocent and the truth will come out.

UPDATES: 

Johnny Depp has fought off a High Court bid to temporarily halt his libel action against The Sun over allegations that he beat his former wife Amber Heard. The judge announced: “I am not satisfied on the current evidence that Ms Heard’s concerns about the restrictions that the divorce agreement imposes on her are well-founded.” Mr Justice Nicklin said Depp had stated clearly in his evidence to the court that he expects Heard “may well” give evidence in the proceedings, and “he will not attempt to prevent that”. He added: “The fact that Ms Heard presently thinks that there is some impediment to her giving evidence for the defendants is nothing to do with Mr Depp.

Here we have, again, her trying to avoid a trial, her avoiding to give the evidence she claims she has.

Johnny has also filed a defamation lawsuit against Amber in which he asks for $50 million.

In the suit, Depp calls the “false allegations” against him “an elaborate hoax to generate positive publicity” for her and “advance her career.” The lawsuit strongly states that she is the one attacked him, claiming, “Ms. Heard is not a victim of domestic abuse; she is a perpetrator.” He claims that Heard’s abuse claims were “conclusively refuted by two separate responding police officers, a litany of neutral third-party witnesses, and 87 newly obtained surveillance camera videos.” The lawsuit claims that an employee of the building reviewed building surveillance video three days after the alleged incident. Depp claims the employee “testified under oath that she saw Whitney Heard pretend to punch her sister in the face. Then Ms. Heard, Ms. Pennington [Heard’s best friend], and Whitney Heard all laughed.” Depp also details an incident one month into their marriage where he claims she threw a glass vodka bottle at him, which shattered when he made contact with his hand. He claims his finger had to be surgically reattached and claims Heard “disseminated false accounts of this incident, casting Mr. Depp as the perpetrator of his own injury.”

Amber Heard is just a fucking psychopath, if things aren’t the way she wants she will go crazy and Johnny loved her so much that he did everything that was in his hand to keep her happy and yet, she did this to him.  

We can also talk about the multiple witnesses he has:

Esparza said under oath that she did not see any visible injuries to Heard’s face or body in the days following the incident and up to the police investigating. She explained how close in proximity she was to Amber and claimed there were no injuries. However, Esparza did note that on May 27, six days after the reported incident, Heard did have a visible injury, including a “red cut underneath her right eye and red marks by her eye.” After seeing the images, Esparza testified that she went back and reviewed security footage from the building because the “time didn’t add up” and she suspected the allegations against Depp were “false.” The concierge services owner was adamant she had seen the actress “several times” without a mark on her face.

Then we have this:

A second employee of the building, a security guard named Alex Romero also claimed to have seen Heard multiple times throughout the week and said he did not see anything to indicate that Heard had been “punched by anyone,” or had anything thrown at her, like a cell phone. The security guard said he seriously doubted the actress’ story once he saw her photos, describing on record, “I saw the pictures and the next day I saw her. I was like come on, really. I couldn’t believe,” adding, “When I saw her in person, I didn’t see anything.” Two other employees — including the general manager of the building, Brandon Patterson — also testified that Heard was observed multiple times in the building following the alleged assault and was seen “without bruises, cuts, redness, swelling or any other injuries to her face.” They also testified that building surveillance captured lots of video of Heard without any visible injuries like the ones seen in the photographs. Baruch, who admits he’s been friends with Depp for 37 years, said Heard “stretched her neck” to show him her alleged injuries, and said he could not see any injuries while standing less than a foot away from her face. Baruch was adamant that he did not even see any redness or swelling. Baruch also describes a bizarre encounter with Heard a few weeks later, on June 3, where she invited him over for dinner while Depp was out of town. The neighbor said he declined, and stated, “I think it’s best that we don’t talk anymore because I’m confused, angry and frustrated by what I’ve been seeing.”

So, Johnny has all of these evidence, yet people still believe her, because a woman can’t lie about domestic violence and we have to believe her just because she is a woman.

Johnny Depp suffered domestic abuse from his ex wife and he has PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE INJURIES SHE CAUSED HIM, WITNESSES TESTIMONIES, AUDIO TAPES AND 87 SURVEILLANCE SECURITY CAMERA VIDEOS to let you all know and let the court know THAT SHE LIED AND THAT HE IS INNOCENT. 

WE ARE WITH YOU JOHNNY. 

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 226: Oh Shit We’re Caught Up

Previously on BnHA: The still-captured Giran warned Re-Des that the League wasn’t going to give a shit about rescuing him, and reminded him that if the League sicced a Noumu on the Army they were as good as dead. But Re-Des was all “nah they don’t have any Noumus to sic at the moment” and give an annoyingly thorough summary of his deductive reasoning. Meanwhile in the town, Kizuki, a.k.a. the Rita Skeeter of BnHA, pestered Toga for an interview. She seemed to have done her research, too -- she knew Toga’s age, and that she ran away from home after graduating middle school. None of Toga’s friends or family saw it coming, apparently, and Kizuki -- whose quirk allows her to turn anything she touches into a bomb -- wanted to know the deal. She allowed Toga to suck up some of her subordinates’ blood, then promptly exploded it. She then asked Toga why she’d abandoned her normal life. In response, Toga smiled one of her crazy smiles and was all “a normal life? what’s that?” Lol okay. Anyway, the last few pages were peppered with as-yet-unexplained flashback scenes, so I’m guessing we’re about to find out just what makes this girl tick at long last.

Today on BnHA: We explore Toga’s backstory in a series of flashbacks. Basically her quirk gave her a fascination for blood which her quirk counseling never properly addressed, and so one day she just snapped and killed a dude. But she was such a cute little kid though. Whatever Toga I still love you. Anyway, so back in the present, Kizuki tries to psychoanalyze Toga and makes her out to be a victim of a society that doesn’t have a place for her. Kizuki says that Toga will become a martyr for the Liberation Army’s cause. But Toga is all “fuck that” and breaks free of Kizuki’s clutches, transforming into Ochako using the last of the blood she took back during the forest arc. Kizuki mocks the seemingly useless transformation, stating that she knows Toga can only change her appearance on the outside. Unfortunately for Kizuki, this isn’t entirely the case, as it’s revealed that while transformed, Toga is able to use the quirks of whoever she turns into. She proceeds to float Kizuki way up into the air and then release her, splattering her onto the ground. Like, she’s definitely dead now, oh shit. Anyways so it’s pretty awesome, albeit grisly as all heck. Now to wait for the rest of the League to follow suit and kick some Liberation Army ass.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my mostly-unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’m caught up with the manga now at chapter 226, which, wait, this is chapter 226. Oh shit lol. But I’m posting this a week after I first read the chapter so any ETAs will reflect that.)

okay so we’re opening with a flashback to a news story or something?

injured but didn’t kill? that doesn’t sound like the Toga we all know and love :’)

hey what the

is Toga not her real name??? didn’t we get confirmation from Gran Torino back during the Pizza Delivery mission? what’s up with that

(ETA: this is really weird, though. they never once refer to her by name during any of the flashback scenes. maybe this is just for stylistic purposes? I don’t think her name is supposed to be any sort of big secret but who knows?)

anyway so yeah

that just means she lub him, guys. that’s just how she is. poor Saito

(ETA: btw Caleb Cook pointed out on his Twitter that this looks to be the Deku lookalike from the previous chapter. so if he was one of AFO’s kids, that’s kind of interesting that AFO had no issue with Tomura hiring his son’s killer later on. I don’t personally think there was any AFO relation though.)

oh wow

rude. that’s my best girl you’re talking about. she’s just a little vampirish, what? Vlad King can make people’s blood fucking do tricks, and you don’t see anyone accusing *him* of being devil spawn. smh

awwwww

cats do this all the time and people fucking love cats! I’m telling you, these are double standards!

oh hey we’re back in the present

so Kizuki is all “so you think you’re living normally? lol you weirdo” basically

and she’s looking at the smiling blood-covered Toga and is all “so this is your ‘true face’“

she’s calling her “the very embodiment of the dark side of superhuman society.” girl what

okay look, I’m not saying Toga doesn’t have a screw or two loose. and yes, she is very fond of blood. but if we’re going to call someone the literal embodiment of the dark side of society then can I interest you in a few other choice candidates, though?? Toga is what we like to call Mostly Evil. there’s a big difference between Mostly Evil and All Evil! Mostly Evil is Slightly Good! whereas with All Evil, well, with All Evil there’s usually only one thing you can do. (accuse them of being the protagonist’s Secret Dad.)

anyways

nooooo my sweet demented child is coughing and teetering onto the ground

jesus it’s almost like she’s been FUCKING BLOWN UP FROM THE INSIDE OUT good grief

and now Kizuki is all “you poor thing.” hey Kizuki you can fuck off right now thanks

HEY

LADY UNLESS YOU WANT TO CATCH THESE HANDS YOU HAD BETTER STEP AWAY FROM MY POOR HURT CHILD AND STOP TOUCHING HER FUCKING FACE

-- oh shit, though!!

[flips open notebook; clicks pen] don’t mind me lady please continue

I mean, I would imagine one of the goals of the program would be to embrace the fact that you’re different. that’s hardly an isolating thing in a society like this one where everyone is so unique that the established word for their superpowers literally means “individuality”

(ETA: on a reread, it actually sounds like the program is intended to do just the opposite of that and the goal is to get everyone to fit in. how the hell they expect to accomplish that in a society where everyone has wacky abilities is beyond me! no wonder the program has issues if this really is the case though.)

but anyways I’m sorry to interrupt, please keep talking about quirk counseling and how it didn’t work for Toga while I sit here and quietly take my notes

you guys oh no she’s too damn cute. I can’t

oh boy

?? and why the hell not, though? sure it might freak some people out that she likes her steaks a little rarer than most, but I don’t see why they couldn’t have accommodated this the same as any other quirk. people donate blood all the time; couldn’t she have gotten a legal supply for her own medical needs? the live animals and such are a bit weird, true, but again, it’s not all that different from what your cat would get up to given half the chance. I feel like they could have found other outlets for her to channel some of that bloodlust, while helping to sate any physical cravings with the aforementioned donated blood supply. if you ask me, whoever counseled her dropped the ball honestly

(ETA: and her parents, too. this makes me want to rewatch the first season of Dexter actually. too bad Toga’s parents weren’t like Dexter’s dad.)

anyway let’s watch society fail poor Toga

well that didn’t take long

see this seriously doesn’t make any sense to me though. IT’S QUIRK SOCIETY, GUYS. NO ONE IS FUCKING NORMAL. WHY CAN’T YOU BE BETTER PARENTS. HOW ABOUT THAT ONE THOUGH

I honestly can’t decide if I’m glad we got more insight into Toga’s headspace, or annoyed that they went and gave her Secret Angst. the problem is I don’t think she needed Secret Angst in order to be a good character, or a likable one. I’m not so sure I really like the implication here that It’s Not Toga’s Fault, Because Society Failed Her. like, I’ve talked about my feelings on this kind of thing before. I prefer It Is Her Fault But She Owns It Though. just because I like when characters take responsibility for their own shit and it’s not just excused or handwaved

but on the other hand, Toga is the type of character who doesn’t need redemption so much as rehabilitation. so it is good to get some kind of an idea as to why she went off the rocker, in that respect. idk. I have mixed feelings, maybe by the time I post this recap I’ll have sorted it out more in my head lol

(ETA: yeah so after reflecting on it some more, it’s more like she was always the way she is, and was just repressing it, and then one day got tired of repressing it. being told she should act one way when she felt like her true self was someone totally different. so it’s not really “society fucked her up” so much as “she was already a little kooky and they just failed to properly address it until it was too late.” so that’s fine, I guess. it’s about what I expected. and hey, at least we got some cute Baby Toga scenes out of the bargain, so.)

anyway now Toga’s making to stab Kizuki and shouting at her to shut up. oh damn

OH DAMN

(ETA: oh you might want to be careful with that Detnerat merch though, lady. seems to be on par with Hammer Tech in terms of reliability.)

DID YOU BLOW UP TOGA’S FUCKING FACE HOLY FUCK

HOLY SHIT SHE REALLY DID

if that’s the case then why are you guys trying to kill her

oh for fuck’s

said sacred text will gloss over exactly how she died though, I suppose? you guys are such fucking hypocrites. you act like you’re the saviors of the world bringing freedom to everyone, but those ideals only seem to hold up so long as they’re convenient. “blah blah blah society is so evil and doesn’t care about people like you. meanwhile we will straight up murder your ass, but never fear, your death will help ensure that no one else has to endure the cruelty of this apathetic world”

like, imagine beating someone with a stick, while screaming at them about how society wants to beat them with a lot more sticks just like this, but not to worry though because their death will make sure no more people get beaten to death with sticks by society. I’m really bad with metaphors you guys, but do you feel me though? just, fuck these guys so hard

I like that Kizuki apparently seems to think Toga is actually dead, though, because honestly. she should be, lol

...or maybe she doesn’t think that, because now she’s asking Toga to correct her if she made any mistakes with her conjectures

and Toga is rolling out of her grasp and ducking off!

GO TOGA!! RUN LIKE THE WIND! I DON’T LIKE HER EITHER! EXACTLY, YOU’RE NOT UNFORTUNATE, THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN SAYING. she’s trying to make you out to be some helpless little victim, but it’s like, bitch, she chose to be evil in order to live her best life so go fuck yourself

TOGAAAAAA

THANK YOU!!! FUCK OFF WITH THAT SECRET ANGST BULLSHIT. STOP ACCUSING HER OF FAKING IT LIKE YOU KNOW HER SO DAMN WELL

she says that just as everyone else kisses people that they like, she sucks blood from the people she likes

EYYYYYYYYY

YESSSSSSSSS TOGA THIS IS WHY YOU’RE MY BEST GIRL

oh my god. okay so someone sent me an anon ask early Thursday afternoon (ETA: this was last Thursday April 25; I read the chapter on the 26th) to the effect of “the mystery has been solved; she CAN use quirks”, so I’m getting an inkling that we’re about to see Toga do some zero gravity bullshit and I’m here for it. but unfortunately I’m spoiled for it. please give me time to read the new chapters when they come out, guys. since I’m writing down my reactions, I’m not able to just read the manga on my phone as soon as chapters come out; the whole process takes me a good hour or two usually, and I prefer to read on my computer since the keyboard comes in handy when I’m typing out a novel in response to whatever bullshit is happening lol. so with work and everything, that usually means I don’t get around to it until the late afternoon/evening most of the time

anyways I know I probably sound bitchy but it’s not really a big deal. but I just wanted to bring this up now, because if and when Horikoshi finally reveals Kacchan’s hero name 17 years from now and I get spoiled on that before I read it, that’ll be a different story lol. I will rampage, guys. or more likely I’ll just learn to turn my asks off on Thursdays and Fridays until the chapter is read! anyways!

-- hold up, quick question, can Toga heal herself by transforming into someone else?? it just occurred to me, and I need to know right this instant

so Kizuki is all “I see, you keep a stock of blood!” and I was like “duh” but then I remembered Kizuki didn’t read the Basement arc. so

oh

well that answers that. shoot

-- except hold up, again! because Spoiled Me knows that’s not actually the case! she can use quirks too! so maybe it can heal her. I mean, this lady didn’t even know until one chapter ago that Toga used blood to transform, so I don’t know where she’s getting all this “I’m well aware!” bullshit from. you don’t know shit

so she’s laughing and mocking Toga and saying she probably just wanted to look cute when she dies

...I mean, I was about to get indignant, but in all honestly why did Toga transform into her though?

so basically she transformed into her because she envies her? is that why she listed her on her list of People She Officially Likes?

but her saying that she wants to get closer to the person she loves makes me think she hasn’t given up. if she’s anything like All Might (you know, because everyone is always comparing Toga to All Might), thinking about Izuku is probably helping motivate her to stay alive!

lol, yep

and oh shit I think the thing is happening!!

holy fucking shit, wait up. I was all “so what, she’s going to float her to death?” and then it all of a sudden occurred to me just how fucking deadly Ochako’s power actually is, which I never thought about before because this deadly power was safely in the hands of the sweetest, kindest girl in existence who’s never tried to use it for anything remotely sinister aside from that one time she tried to crush Bakugou with hundreds of rocks

but like, she could float her all the way out into space, if she wanted! but the much more likely option, especially given that this is a series where falling from things actually hurts, is that she could simply float her up and then fucking splatter her on the ground holy shit

aaaaaaand up she goes!

yeah that’s right lady. “only her appearance changes” my ass

holy shit

SHE’S ALREADY SO HIGH, HOLY FUCK THIS IS TERRIFYING SHE REALLY IS GOING TO DROP HER ISN’T SHE

now she’s running around and tagging all the rest of them too!

holy shit!!!! I can’t! my brain’s going like a mile a minute because not only did Toga just get 1000% deadlier, but Ochako did too, retroactively! and just, so much newfound respect and awe for my girls

HOLY SHIT

SHE DIDN’T EVEN KNOW??! you seriously never once realized this this entire time??

quirk counseling has failed her in more ways than one. she could have gone to U.A.! she could have made an amazing hero. honestly she still could aside from the fact that she doesn’t want to. (and also, y’know. the murders. and such)

ahhhh now she’s coughing up blood, so I guess that’s a no on the “can she heal” question then

honestly that makes no sense if it only transforms her on the outside. half of the outside is based off of what’s inside! if you’re changing appearances that should mean your entire body transforms. particularly if she can use quirks! it means her DNA is transforming too

but whatever, for the sake of enjoying the story I’ll just shut up about this now though

anyway so Kizuki is all “it can’t be”, just as thousands of villains have said before her, usually immediately after it was incontrovertibly proven to them that Yes It Can Be Though

she’s asking if Ochako’s quirk got stronger just now because of her fear of death

and Toga is all “nope”

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT

SHE DID FUCKING SPLATTER HER, HOLY SHIT!? HORIKOSHI “LET’S CHOP OFF ALL FIVE OF HIS FINGERS!” KOUHEI STRIKES AGAIN

and fucking lol at Toga thinking she’s just like Izuku because her body is all beaten up and dying. :’D Deku you’re such a terrible role model

and so I guess she’s fully on board with Tomura’s whole “destroy everything” plan now, then. well shit. I wonder how quickly they’ll be able to heal her up. what with her being so absurdly powerful all of a sudden, I wonder if her injuries will have a lasting effect on her ability to use her quirk, similar to what happened to Aizawa after USJ. might be a good idea honestly

lastly, “cute is evil” makes absolutely no sense, but damned if I’m not 100% on board with that slogan. just something about it that I like. or maybe it’s just due to the context here, lol. whatever it is, I’d buy a coffee mug with that printed on it

and here we go. so that’s it for new chapters until May 10th or thereabouts. if only there was something coming out in the interim that could tide my superhero cravings over. like a new Avengers movie or some shit. lol

(ETA: I have to hand it to Endgame, it’s done its job distracting me and then some. I’ve seen it twice now and it’s just as devastating the second time! I’m just about finished working my way through the five stages of grief now though, so we’re good. but now that I’m done wallowing, I need my villain arc to come along and cheer me up again. come on Tomura. do your thing boy.)

[ryouverua]

Trial 5 - Queen Sacrifice; Pre-Accusation (7)

tfw your trial has gone completely off the rails and the class clown is leading a revolt against the teacher

Investigation 1 / 2 - second half is where I put my own theories that I penned before playing the trial.

Trial: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Back when I left off earlier, we were discovering just how much of a magnificent bastard Kokichi was. With limited maneuverability and an absolutely terrible situation to contend with, he has apparently managed to flip the script on Monokuma in such a glorious fashion that all the students have been practically pushed to the sidelines.

.... If that’s the case though... is solving the case really in our best interest? In terms of ‘the enemy of our enemy is our friend’, I’m pretty sure Kokichi fits the ‘friend’ bill here!

YES, I WONDER WHAT THE POINT IS. WHY WOULD KOKICHI OUMA WANT TO COMMIT A MURDER MONOKUMA COULDN’T FIGURE OUT IF HE WAS MONOKUMA. THERE MUST BE A MISTAKE IN THIS SENTENCE. WHAT COULD IT BE, I WONDER.

I... I clearly misinterpreted the video screens around campus because I was always under the impression that there were cameras in that whole set-up too. But then again... now that I think about it, there wasn’t anything really like that around the school grounds as far as I noticed. Ah man, I really am perceptive in some areas and oblivious in others, huh. 8′D

YUP okay I was clearly wrong about the camera stuff but I guess I’ll worry about that after the trial is over.

So this is the prime reason, not the safety function? But the safety function being disabled was a fun little perk of that? Or, well - no, they’re both equally important in terms of keeping the ambiguity of ‘poison or press’, right?

WERE GUARDING HIM!!! FML I’VE BEEN RIGHT ABOUT THAT SINCE THE BEGINNING!!!

thank you Sweetcheeks -

Man I wish you hadn't been so single-mindedly fixated on the goal of ‘kill Kokichi’ - if you had made the connection at the time, none of this would have happened... :(

Brilliant. I love this whole trial to bits. to bits you say -

Himiko you’re killing me here -

I’m so glad we’ve gotten to this point!!! It’s funny - I originally thought this was going to be addressed right off the bat as a reason to parse out what Kokichi’s motive could be, and why it wouldn’t fit if he was the mastermind. It makes sense that they saved it until now though; it’s so tied in with the twist of ‘Monokuma doesn’t know the culprit either’ that it really couldn’t be any other way!

PREACH!!!! PREACH!!!! PREACH MY BOY!!!!

literally the first clue right there that it could be just an elaborate story he concocted for his own purposes and the fact that he ended the game RIGHT AFTER should have been the next one damn it!!!

What? Kokichi Ouma, lie to us? WHY I NEVER - you watch your tone young man!!!

lmao I do love his commitment to this whole charade though

I... AM MORBIDLY CURIOUS... ABOUT THE EXPRESSIONS BEING MADE IN THAT EXISAL RIGHT NOW...

I MEAN... HE’S ALSO NOT THAT EITHER.... I’M PRETTY SURE....  but whatever gets you onto the ‘Kokichi is not the mastermind’ track I suppose

Immediately after they start ganging up on Monokuma to tell the truth because trying to make Kokichi do it is like pulling teeth, and it’s amazing imo.

I love this side of you Sweetcheeks

.... And then he folds.

After a big spiel about ‘truth’ and ‘fairness’, he folds, damn it.

I’d just like to note that the theme we as the players are supposed to favour is quietly shifting beneath us. After all the pomp and circumstance last trial with ‘truth’ vs ‘lies’ - with Kokichi making an impassioned plea in favour of gentle lies against the harsh truth against the backdrop of ‘two times the truth was painful’ (Kaede, Gonta) and ‘two times the pursuit of truth was absolutely, black-and-white Good and Noble’ (Kirumi/Korekiyo) within the trials themselves - we’re seeing Kokichi (and maybe Kaito?? maybe??) using one big lie as a weapon against Monokuma, while Monokuma seems to be fighting back by throwing out truth after truth in order to expose him. And who is going to win in the end if Monokuma gets his way? Can Monokuma actually kill the cast if his status as the arbiter is called into question? Is the pursuit of truth the right move for Shuichi and co. right now?

Honestly, tl;dr is if Monokuma is making moves that blatantly favour one side despite whatever ‘impartiality claims’ he’s making, something is up and you should reconsider everything immediately.

This move was advantageous for him. ... Somehow.

Ah shit - if this really is being recorded and Kokichi made a move to interrupt the transmission - then was the whole ‘everyone is all dead’ a lie too? Wait - wasn’t that Kokichi himself who said that? Is... Is this footage being sent to some of the people who are still alive, and things back home aren’t as hopeless as we thought? Why else would Monokuma’s ability to rule fairly matter, if there isn’t anyone left to judge him for it???

“Ahaha aaaaw shucks -”

And maybe more than that, if this footage isn’t just being recorded for the mastermind’s sake..

i’m sorry for cutting out the flashback screenshots for the sake of redundancy and I say that only because hangover!Shuichi sprite was there. my one regret of this trial

These are interesting comments here, btw. 

I’ve had a few wild theories, most of them near the beginning when I was doing some larger-scale speculation, but one of them was about switched talents. It hasn’t come nearly as much as, say, ‘escapism’, ‘putting on roles/masks’ or the super obvious one of ‘truth/lies’ but there have been instances, such as the switched motives back in chapter 2, that caught my eye.

I’ll put it out again just for fun - what if this is a case of them either getting talents from previous students or, in fact, receiving the wrong talent back? It could be a case of ‘the mind making the talent fit the memories they have’, like I was suspecting with the funeral scene where they saw their own death portraits - were they really there? Did their brains just trick them into imagining their own faces in those portraits? And, in the case of switched talents, is it possible that the students forced the square peg that is their so-called ‘Ultimate Talent’ into the round hole that is ‘their memories', and as the game goes along we see some of them display hints of their real talent? I’m just saying that things like Kokichi being the real ‘Ultimate Detective’, Kirumi being the real ‘Supreme Leader’, etc? And it doesn’t even have to be a full cast switch - just like with the motives, some of they may have received their actual talent (K1-b0 for one lmao). ... Anyway, this was just something to consider. It’s a bit of a wild theory and I’m not really confident in it or anything but this seemed like a good place to bring it up again with Monokuma and Shuichi both (reluctantly) acknowledging his deductions.

Oh yay we’re bringing up the exisals, the point I was stumped on! Good!

WHAT

HER WHAT

HOW MUCH TECH DID MIU MAKE FOR HIM 

is this why Miu attempted to kill him lol she is canonically lazy and apparently Kokichi has been bugging her behind the scenes to make all this stuff for him -

Man, I guess I’m going to have to go back and look at their interactions with a new light, huh? I wonder when each part was built. She spent most of her time working on the computer during Chapter 4 so it was... Chapter 3? Earlier, maybe? I don’t know if I’ve said this enough, but damn Miu was incredibly smart, huh?

One of the many things he did during the time he was missing in the beginning of this chapter, I imagine...

Truth as a weapon! Truth as a weapon! Truth was being framed as ‘just, fair and impartial’ and now we’re literally being told it can be used differently here!

DAMN, he is NOT PHASED!

yes. literally, yes.

Other than for proper closure? I think there is because it’s one of the first things Shuichi deduced way back in Chapter 1, and he may have stumbled along the way but damn it, I believe in his talent!

I’ve actually given my thoughts on that a while back and tbh it hasn’t really changed, but with that said I haven’t seen a whole lot proving or disproving it. 8′D

MORE IMPORTANTLY RIGHT NOW IT IS NOT KOKICHI OUMA DAMN IT!!!! I do like how they addressed what I said about Kokichi in that answer lmao, in such a thorough way that I couldn’t possibly ask for more. I was literally saying that he’s such a good obvious choice that I’d be mad if he was, and then he pulls this shit. Amazing.

SHUICHI FOR THE LOVE OF - DO NOT EVEN THINK HER NAME OR SHE’LL APPEAR!!!!

yup and let’s keep it that way thanks

grumblegrumble that’s just what you want isn’t it

Well damn okay, I guess the two powerhouses of the trial are in agreement so this is how it’s going down!

Just a quick little it of K1-b0 appreciation - he has been quite on top of things this trial!

uhuhuhu I’m going on and on but I am absolutely, thoroughly impressed by Kokichi this trial

He is... definitely... definitely... trying to get you to make a mistake.

HONESTLY THIS WHOLE SPEECH GAVE ME A CHILL

GAMES ARE LOVE, GAMES ARE LIFE TSUMUGI!!!!

still a better motivation than despair even if I don’t believe you - I think this is his plan B after plan A failed to stop things.

He has no bloody idea what they’re talking about, huh? It’s actually hilarious.

THIS SHOULD BE THE FIRST AND OBVIOUS SIGN THAT WE MAY BE ON THE WRONG SIDE, SWEETCHEEKS!

OKAY LMAO 

I ACTUALLY DID, I I LAUGHED OUT LOUD, LOUDLY AT THAT

I don’t know if that fits in this case either, but it’s at least a slightly better fit than assigning that label to Kokichi. 

... though tbh I think that’s a dangerous label as well. If you start labelling his motivations as incomprehensible you stop thinking, and if you stop thinking you’ll fall into easy traps...

Ffff guys... guys.... I really think we are falling prey to ritual here! The fact that we are following Monokuma’s lead again is a real problem! It would be one thing of Kaito was killed in cold-blood (though about that - I have some... suspicions...), but the situation is this: Kaito was going to die either way. If Kokichi did it, it was most likely at Kaito’s behest and also probably to throw off the whole game/mess with Monokuma. If it was Maki’s fault, you guys don’t want her to die. It’s not in your best interest to solve this case! I... I guess there’s always a chance of Monokuma threatening to kill both of the potential culprits, but...

Aw man I guess I have to follow the game though, so let’s look at the video again. That weird pause really did bug me when we first watched it...

... It.... couldn’t possibly be tricking us about the victim... after all....because I can’t think of any other purpose...

Unless - it was specifically evidence aimed at Monokuma, right?

[quietly] aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

aaaaaaAAAaaaaAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN METHODS TO HIS MADNESS, AND I DON’T EVEN KNOW IF IT ALL QUALIFIES AS MADNESS!!!

BUT

NO WAIT

IF

NO

IF THIS IS -

IF THIS IS WHERE I THINK IT’S GOING

..... THIS... ISN’T JUST... KOKICHI’S MADNESS????

The nice thing is Hangman’s Gambit was incredibly easy this time around. 

fuCK FUCK FUCK I...

THE BARE BONES OF MY THEORY WAS FUCKING RIGHT WASN’T IT

EVEN IF I WAS WRONG ABOUT MAKI’S ROLE -

oh shit

oh god

the accomplice theory I had

..... no but when I revised it last post I had been thinking Kaito acted as Kokichi’s accomplice

it

it was the other way around

Is.... Is that body.... really... then.....

Was it??? ....... Was Kokichi..... the accomplice then.....?!?! to his own.....

sorry this is all incomprehensible type at the moment I’m just freaking out

No it fucking was IT FUCKING WASN’T IT WAS A CLOSED ROOM!!! A CLOSED ROOM, AND KOKICHI, IF NOT IN THE EXISAL, IS UNACCOUNTED FOR!!! BUT WE HAVE A BODY IN THE EXISAL, AND A BODY IN THE PRESS!!!

But hell why not throw in that Mukuro reference, it’s fine it’s fine I’ll just act like I’m not going to lose two favourites by the end of this chapter it’s fine -

Maki I know you’re having a brief moment - and you’ll have more, over the next few minutes! - of hope because you now exist in a world where Kaito may very well be alive but please do not let it get to you because I will be shocked if he will survive this chapter. Again. i’ve been saying that every chapter lmao

PLEASE SOMEONE FORCE THAT EXISAL HATCH OPEN I NEED TO KNOW NOW MORE THAN EVER WHAT EXPRESSIONS ARE BEING MADE IF I’M RIGHT AND IT ISN’T KOKICHI IN THERE

GOD I HAVE EVEN MORE QUESTIONS THAN I DO ANSWERS NOW HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE

you think I haven’t realized the trick you bastard I KNOW. I KNOW. I mean it doesn’t explain why it sped up at that point but it does explain why there was that brief pause as the body disappeared from view

I will say I love every moment of Monokuma being pushed around. You go, K!

i’m not saying you sound like beatrice right now but you do, give in to the illusion of culprit kokichi shuichi give in ahaha.wav

maybe it’s spirit channelling. Maybe that’s the answer I’m looking for. Either way, as long as the exisal isn’t open, Kokichi can ‘exist’, huh...

FML I’m so glad you guys are working together again, I really am, but surely you must realize that you are working against Kaito’s interests here and for Monokuma’s -

Aaaaaaaw :(

Okay honestly thought despite everything, despite me wanting to yell at everyone to stop doing Monokuma’s dirty work for him, them coming together like this is legitimately heartwarming and sweet.

FUCK I LOVE THAT THE CLASS IS COMING TOGETHER LIKE THIS BUT WE ARE PRACTICALLY MARCHING A CERTAIN SOMEONE TO THEIR GRAVE ON MONOKUMA’S BEHALF AAAAAA

oh hey it’s the part I fucked up so badly

NO SERIOUSLY DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I HAD TO DO THIS PARTICULAR DISCUSSION

I don’t know if there was a lying option or not but my god I thought there was, and I tried so hard to find it I really did

but then I finally gave up I just couldn’t do it anymore

anyway tangent over

Damn Shuichi and K1-b0 are seriously the dream team this trial! Is that the saiibo the kids are all talking about these days -

Conveniently.

.... drv3 why are you making me do the mining game right now - uh, okay. I mean, I’ll do it. It just seems a bit abrupt, that’s all.

Kokichi sure did stop that press before it killed Kaito, didn’t he? Odd, isn’t it? 

what is the ‘pause button’ but a ‘force stop’ button for a video camera

See, I can’t tell if Monokuma is feeding the answer to Shuichi here or if he is legitimately bringing it up as a question. It’s an interesting distinction, though I’m not sure if it’s important - it’s already pretty clear that Monokuma has a vested interest in them solving the murder because he doesn’t know who the culprit is, but does he have suspicions at this point? Hm.

ANOTHER MIND MINE?!?! WHY

And not perfectly, though that would be incredibly tricky - requiring inhuman timing. I’d say it was unfortunate that K1-b0 wasn’t the one in the hangar, but blah blah below average human abilities etc -

Meaning the camera operator and the press operator are one and the same. There were only two people in the hangar, and one of them was playing dead as the press went down.

When Himiko using her fire magic, she really goes for those third degree burns damn.  Poor Tsumugi - she was bringing it up during some of the discussion too but I ended up agreeing with K1-b0 instead... 8′D

I am perfectly content to keep playing around with the topic of camera angles because soon the topic is going to turn to the question of whose body it is that was discovered rather than Kaito’s and I’m not ready -

...... I... I guess I shouldn’t procrastinate it. Equivalent exchange and all of that. If Kaito is alive then someone is dead. That was being bandied about even in the investigation...

oh god here we go

aaah the music is ominous. They all just remembered that he has been confirmed to not be the mastermind.

HEY SHUICHI, THE EXISAL HANGAR IS A SEALED ROOM. AFTER MAKI LEFT, NO HUMAN DEAD OR ALIVE WENT IN OR OUT OF THE ENTRANCE UNTIL IT WAS OPENED BY THE FIVE STUDENTS THE NEXT MORNING.

I’LL SAY IT AGAIN: THERE WERE TWO HUMANS IN THAT HANGER. WHEN THE BODY DISCOVERY ANNOUNCEMENT PLAYED, THERE WAS DEFINITELY A BODY IN THAT PRESS, AND SOMEONE OPERATING THE PRESS. THAT WAS REAL BLOOD! THE FOOTAGE SHOWED THE MOMENT OF SOMEONE’S DEATH!

HEY SHUICHI.... 

IF KAITO IS ALIVE...

.... WHAT DOES THAT MEAN....?

There sure is a competitive guy in there challenging the mastermind, huh.

Just like in Kaede’s trial, it’s on the tip of his tongue - and it’s not a question of ability holding him back, but of what it would mean to follow that trail of thought to the bitter end...

Honestly? Probably my face when I figured it out too.

at first I was like REALLY?! HANGMAN’S GAMBIT AT A TIME LIKE THIS?

But honestly, having to spell it out piece by piece really drives it home. ‘Victim helped’ doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as, say, ‘accomplice victim’ but yeah, damn. Confirmed.

gonna be honest drv3 writers this was not the Kaito / Kokichi friendship/partnership content I was looking for but I’ll take it anyway

Does figuring it out slightly earlier take away from this moment at all?

NOPE

NOPE NOT AT ALL

I’M SHOOK TO THE CORE

To name-drop the title I decided on for this post:

In chess, a queen sacrifice is a move giving up a queen in return for tactical or positional compensation.

Well-played, Kokichi. He sacrificed the most powerful tool in his arsenal - his own life - for a chance to defeat Monokuma and the person behind him. Well-played.

“Fuck you too Monokuma. If I knew how to lift up the exisal middle finger, just know I totally would be right now.”

nnnnnnnnnnnn -

THE FACE AND NAME..... IT’S..... BLANK.............

The ability to work with even the most unlikely people in a dire situation, isolated from everyone else - to put a greater goal and others before yourself and your personal grudges and feelings - to be able to communicate with anyone in such a way you could carry on their very will and act in their place - who else could it possibly be but the fucking Ultimate Astronaut.

[icharchivist]

Kind of a weird curiosity. But I remembers years ago when there was talk over what it'd be like if Allen had been a girl instead (I even read a girl!Allen fic about her time with Cross. It was surprisngly good. Probably because it had no shipping =p). For some reason I just start thinking about that topic again and I wonder how Allen and Lavi's dynamic would be? For the most part I don't see most of Allen's dynamics changing at all (except more (more) fanboys. Lol). But then I remembered Lavi -

2 and I think it's been pointed out Lavi treats females a bit differently. He doesn't seem to prank or tease them as much as the males (not that he's the perfect gentleman either. Komui Talks makes me wonder how innocent he actually is XD). Nor give them nicknames. With this is mind I wonder if Lavi would still act the exact same (chaotic prankster. Touchy feely physically. Retaliating over rough housing) or if he'd tone some things down but do other things more (maybe try to be more like a -

3 big brother initially if he kinda of bases off from Lenalee and Komui, w/o the complex, to get closer to a female Allen?). Lol, Idk. This is kind of more of a Lavi meta question since it's been stated Allen's relationship is utterly crucial to Lavi's character. Again, I'd be curious if a dynamic w/girl Allen would be slightly different or the exact same (in a you're an exception. And people bop him more because 'stop picking on a sweet girl' while Allen cackles menacingly from behind).

Oh my this is... interesting to think about.

I think it’s fair to start with... the fact that Allen was originally a girl. Or more- when Hoshino pinched the idea to Shounen Jump she made a one shot with a main character called Robin. Here you can find it. And Robin... was an akuma. A girl in a boy’s body. Long story short, you can read the one shot if you hadn’t yet - but ye that was originally the character we were going with.It’s to argue that it would make a point for Robin planned as a transwoman in those instances.

According to the Gray Arc however, when the series became serialized, her editors were against the idea, because “No one would care if a girl would be crying”. That’s litterally word for word the reasoning. So Hoshino had to scrap it.

and she mentions quickly that it was one of the reasons she had no idea what to do with Allen to start with. He kinda started with him being a revamp of her character. (What I admire a lot with Hoshino is how much Her Vision can be affected by little things? Like how Lenalee became an entiere different person in her head the moment her editors forced her to have her with long hair.)

There’s also the elephant in the room that considering the timeperiod it was originally written. DGM was originally published with some big name shounen, Shounen Jump had some control over some choices, would react to fan backlashes (Lenalee being forced to have her hair long again is among those btw) ect... I mean like I think people may take for granted that for instance, the Alma arc was a complete anomaly when it came out in 2009/2010. That it had like. Major effects on fanbases. I’ve seen so much dudebros yell at this arc while i was thriving my friend. And tbh before the Alma arc DGM was often lurped in the “basic Shounen” category. A lot of people argued about the tropes it had to follow or not, and if this sort of things had any impact on the writting of the manga earlier? I can see how things wouldn’t go smoothly.(The Alma arc rooted out all the bad dudebros i’ve known of though. I don’t even care what people’s reaction nowadays are to it, to me back then, from the experience i got from fandom, it was revolutionary when it came out.)

I’ve stired away sorry, but Lenalee also works better, bc I know Hoshino fought for the Alma’s arc and that her editors didn’t agree with the direction she was taking. But if you read some of the interviews of the Grey Arc specifically, you see that Hoshino was constantly told how to rewrite Lenalee to fit a male audience sort of. Her editor pushed her to have long hair bc “that’s the kind of idol he found cute”, there was a complete backlash when Hoshino managed to cut her hair, the fans supported the editors, Hoshino talks all about it with such a bummer because “her Lenalee” had short hair. (also during that specific interview her editor calls her a moron. Later on she got called very annoying for sassing her editors after they called her dumb when she had a writter block writting the 14th song, and she sassed them asking for help going “since you’re far more intelligent than me-”. And the editor failled hard, Hoshino didn’t even use his writting, and the editor insulted her for being bossy. Needless to say I’ve since then been filled with anger with how the early days of DGM must have been hard on Hoshino).

I’m forced to make this preface because I truly think it would have affected Allen’s writting had he been a woman. 

If i’m optimistic i would like to think that nothing much would change because Allen’s writting kinda transend genders. But If i’m realistic i know it wouldn’t have happened.

As for Lavi specifically (wouh 7 paragraphs in and i’m finally touching the point of this post) the thing is that he also has a soft spot for women. (I mean i personally would argue he describes Dug as “cute” far too much in his novel to be 100% straight but he at least show his attraction to women more easily in the manga). 

And ye he does tend to treat the women differently but he also doesn’t... have a lot of women to be around to. I mean Lenalee whom he respects (and can be worried Komui will kill him if he tries anything), Miranda that he kinda met at the wrong time? He was always so overly serious around her because he was griefing and we didn’t see him with her at all since he got better. Aside then from his occasional crushes, that he does let himself feel, he didn’t really have an opportunity to spend more time with those women.

My point is just that the women he had met don’t help us set up a patern about how he treats them more casually: in term of pranks for exemple. Like in the day-by-day, we only have Lenalee and Miranda, and pranking Lenalee would be really putting a target on him to be murdered by Komui, while I would argue that Miranda’s anxiety (and the circumstances in which Lavi met her) would make him go softer on her. It doesn’t mean we know for sure he wouldn’t tease a woman in his peer surrounding in others circumstances.

I would love to think he would make an exception for Allen if only because of the timing: He was still handling Dug’s recent death and I think even if Allen was a woman the parallelisms would be there for him to be bitter. 

I want to think that because of that Lavi would still have teased Allen normally like he teases guys. But it’s not impossible that he would have treated Allen differently.

I think eventually like... If Lavi recognizes his soft spot for women (that it is with his strikes and whatever) he might actually be more ready to keep a guard up around them? Like I personally think he has a major soft spot for Lenalee but it took eventually Allen shaking everything up for him to acknowledge this soft spot. That he would have otherwise just protected himself against.

That, the reason our Allen was so effective was that Lavi really, really didn’t expect anything like that. and I think expectations would have been his doom, and I am inclined to think if allen had been a woman, he would have had some expecations.

Regardless: The major plot points that changed Lavi’s mind on Allen were emotionally driven and would still have had the same impact had Allen be a girl, i’m convinced of that. 

So it’s only on how he would treat that Allen more casually. And tbh... considering how vicious Allen can be, I feel like if Lavi treated her “more softly”, Allen’s reactions would probably have ended up with Lavi going “nevermind she’s a prick” and tease her just like he teases our Allen. I mean just taking the Vampire’s arc, with a whole joke about when Allen got bitten and that Lavi was lowkey scared because of that that Allen would turn into a vampire- in the term of, Allen being a danger to him. And Allen therefore sassing him because Lavi was being a moron. I don’t see how the gender would have changed anything, and if Lavi did treat Allen softly “as a girl”, I think this sort of things would have stopped him dead in his track as in “ye no she’s a PRINK where is my sharpy i’m gonna draw on her face.”

But that’s wishful thinking. I honestly don’t know and I think a lot of this post is more how i’m tryng to reason it. 

I’m sure more people would be more able to pinpoint exactly the characters and how it would work. I think i can’t ignore what went down backstage in term of the women’s writtings  so i cannot help but let it affect how I would see the manga as written by Hoshino be affected by it. But also perhaps if Hoshino had managed to keep her female main character, she could have gone more “fuck you” to her editors and manage to flesh her out to a point where half of what i’m worrying about wouldn’t even matter. 

If we divorce the story from the backstage stuff, perhaps there would be a complete different take to have - and it’s cool if people get to explore it. I am just... not the one placed for that.

I used to be good at transformative media, like headcanons and fics, and let those a little take over, but I got kinda insecure of my interpretations so i started to rely on canon a lot more. I already get insecure when I push my interpretations of canon too far. So something that really get me out of my comfort zone is not where you’d find the best answers about that, i’m sorry. 

But hey i hope this ask made sense? If not for the second half, at least for the half where I mention the backstages issues.

Take care!

[brentwatchesmovies]

Top 10 Movies of 2017

Another year is behind us, so that means it’s time for everyone’s ‘my favorite ________ of 2017’ lists. This year, I’m folding to peer pressure and changing the ‘top 8’ favorite movies to ‘top 10’ because honestly, there were too many awesome movies and I originally only did it because that’s how Tarantino narrowed his picks and I wanted to seem cool or something. (On a quick related note, I can’t believe this is my 8th year of doing one of these dumb things. Crazy.) On a personal level, 2017 has been a wild year for me. I got married to my best friend, started a much better and satisfying job, and found out we’re going to be parents this year. It’s going to be an incredibly busy and life-changing 2018, and I can’t wait for it.

In terms of the past year in cinema, it’s been amazing as well. I wanted to see as many movies as I could before finalizing my favorites, and was pretty successful, with a few exceptions. I wasn’t able to see Phantom Thread, The Post, The Florida Project, The Emoji Movie or Coco, to name a few (not seeing the new PTA and Spielberg movies before writing this KILLS me). A lot of the choices on my list might be predictable, especially if you follow me on Twitter, or read movie sites/blogs. Twitter has kind of taken over my actually writing posts for this blog anymore, and maybe one day I’ll get better at coming back here and putting thoughts down (probably not though). Like I’ve said in previous years, these really don’t have a ranking, unless I specify it’s my ‘favorite’ over the others. This is a 100% subjective list, based on an incomplete sampling. The movies listed below either moved me in a huge way, were a complete blast, and/or stayed with me long after I saw them. That’s enough preamble though, let’s get to my favorites of 2017!

In my eyes, this whole reboot-prequel-whatever trilogy is a cinematic miracle. This series, on it’s surface is a very campy, B-movie concept. What Rupert Wyatt and now Matt Reeves have done here is a staggering directorial achievement. This entry further fleshes out the already relatable and complex characters, and continues to add emotional depth that the originals could never even touch. In my eyes, this is what makes this the best movie trilogy since The Lord of the Rings. War Apes (what I find to be the best shorthand for this entry) is the ‘Return of the King’ equivalent of this trilogy. It takes Caesar’s story in darker, more unexpected places, and in a perfect world, would net Andy Serkis an Oscar nomination for best actor. If you’ve slept on this series because it seemed silly, or not really your jam, definitely take the time to catch up with it, it’s most definitely worth it.

This was one of the last movies I saw before making this post, and having just seen it a few days ago, it’s the movie I’ve been thinking about most. In a year that I think a lot of people would call ‘complete awful garbage’, (or something similar), Guillermo Del Toro’s love story of the ‘others’ in society; the forgotten and the disenfranchised, hits home. I’m still working through my thoughts on all of it, but it’s up there with my favorites of his filmography. I don’t think GDT has ever made a movie so unapologetically ‘him’. A sequence near the end of the movie is one of my favorite things I’ve seen all year, and I thought to myself during it that nobody other than this one enigmatic, creative and strange man could make something so unique and beautiful. This one definitely isn’t for everyone, but if you like GDT’s movies, I have a feeling you’ll be on board with this one as well.

From this point forward, if Taylor Sheridan has a new movie coming out, I’ll be there to see it. The previous writer of such films as Sicario and Hell or High Water makes his directorial debut with Wind River. It follows a standard neo-western trend of his previous films, but this time moving the story to snowy Wyoming. Setting the location on an American Indian reservation allows Sheridan to bring up timely themes as well, such as the incredibly high rate at which Native American women disappear on reservations, and how few are ever actually found. It’s an incredibly moving and intense story that plays out after the initial murder/mystery is established, going to some of the most intense places thematically that I’ve seen in a movie this year. The cast all around is stellar, and Jeremy Renner specifically has never been better than he is in this movie. If you’re a fan of neo-westerns or Sheridan’s other movies, Wind River is absolutely worth checking out.

I had been anticipating this movie since I heard about it, having been a huge fan of ‘The Indoor Kids’ podcast, hosted by Emily Gordon and her husband Kumail Nanjiani. It’s a video game podcast that they ended a few years back, but every now and then, they would hint at how they met. This movie is how their eventual marriage came to be, and it’s a beautiful love story, which just so happens to fit the mold of one of the best romantic comedies ever made. Not only is it a great comedy, but also dramatically complex due to Emily’s time spent in a coma at the beginning of their relationship and Kumail’s meeting of her two parents. Everyone in this movie gives it their all, with Ray Romano and Holly Hunter standing out as Emily’s parents. The movie also tackles what it’s like to be the child of an immigrant in America, and that perspective was fresh and eye-opening for a big Hollywood movie. This is definitely one to watch with the family.

*potential spoilers for mother!*

If you read my post I wrote about ‘Noah’, you’ll probably understand why I love this movie so much. This is the second film by Darren Aranofsky that explores the morality of not only God, but of the entire bible this time around. Something about that intent clicks with me. Maybe it’s being raised in church until my late teens or the religious cynic inside me, but I love when he tackles these issues. The fact that this religious interpretation is only one of many possible ways to read this movie is what makes it fascinating. Is it about climate change and how we’re destroying the earth? Is it a dramatization of the Bible and God’s relationship with humanity? Or is it about the relationship between artists, the things they create, and the audience? On top of these questions, Mother! Is beautifully shot, acted and constructed. I was pretty much in shock for the entire last third of the movie and that’s more than I can say for almost any movie I’ve seen this year.

Y’all probably knew this was coming, right? I’m so in the bag for Star Wars movies that any objectivity is completely out the window at this point. I also understand that many people REALLY do not like this movie, and I’ve been grappling with that and processing it since I saw the movie a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to see the movie a second time, so this is based entirely off my first time seeing The Last Jedi. This movie was everything I wanted and more. It absolutely has faults worth talking about, but to me, the highs of TLJ far outweigh the lows. There were moments in this movie that I yelled in joy, smiled ear to ear and also cried on numerous occasions. For the first time since watching the original trilogy as a kid, I felt like I was watching a true Star Wars movie, with the original series characters, and the great new ones established in VII as well. The prequels have their moments, and Rogue One and Force Awakens were fun diversions in fan fiction, but to me, this movie felt true to what I love about Star Wars. I can’t wait to watch it again.

Sometimes I just think to myself, “it’s really damn cool that I’m around at the same time as Christopher Nolan.” The guy will go down as an all-time great director, and I love that with Dunkirk he proved that he doesn’t need a high concept idea and a ton of exposition to sell it. All you need to tell a gripping story is a camera and a story with baked-in drama, like the evacuation of Dunkirk. The movie is almost a silent film with how little dialogue there is, relying solely on Hoyte van Hoytema’s beautiful cinematography and Nolan’s adherence to old-school film techniques, with as little CG as possible. Dunkirk makes for the most intense theater going experience I’ve probably had all year, and I fear that seeing it at home can never reach the levels of seeing it on the big screen. Regardless, Dunkirk is possibly Nolan’s best film yet, an exciting evolution of his directorial skill, and one of the best war films of all time.

In my opinion, there was no greater surprise at the theater this year than Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’. A social horror film in the vein of such classics as ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ and ‘The Step-ford Wives’, and on the same level of quality as well. I’d also have to say that Get Out epitomizes the state of our country the best of any other movie I’ve seen this year, perfectly nailing racial tensions much more nuanced than your typical racist-redneck-murder-family horror movies ever could. I rewatched the movie again over Christmas (this and the Witch make great Christmas movies btw) and it reaffirmed how tightly written, acted and directed it truly is. Every setup has a fulfilling payoff, every character a great/exciting/terrifying moment, and it has one of the most subversive, ingenious endings I’ve seen of this, or any year.  Get out is a certified horror classic, and easily one of the best movies of the year.

Coming-of-age stories are very often ‘my jam’, as I’m sure you could surmise from any number of posts on here from the past. What I loved so much about Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Call me by Your Name’ is the sincerity and honesty in every one of the characters in the movie. The two leads (played by Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer) wear their hearts on their sleeves, and soon find themselves in a summer love affair. What this movie captures so well is that feeling of young ‘love’, or at least infatuation with amazingly believable ease. It also features a moment between Timothée Chalamet’s character and his father (played by the always great Michael Stuhlbarg) that crushed me. It hit me right in the nexus of all my dad baggage, past and present, and turned me into a weeping mess. I aspire to be the kind of loving, understanding and wise father that Timothée Chalamet’s character is blessed with in this movie.

Alright guys, time for my favorite movie of the year, and it’s easily Denis Villeneuve’s science fiction masterpiece: Blade Runner 2049. No movie transported me completely like this film did. The entire run time of the movie was almost like an out of body experience. It was surely aided by seeing it on the massive downtown IMAX screen, but when myself and a couple friends walked out of this movie, we were practically in shock. I’m sure I sound hyperbolic right now, but in my eyes this movie is a top-to-bottom cinematic masterpiece. It expands and even improves on themes and ideas that the first film only flirted with. It deepens the philosophy of the world in interesting ways, and does all this with a far more emotional core than the first ever had as well. I’d be remiss not talking about how beautiful this movie is as well. If Roger Deakins doesn’t win his first Cinematography Oscar for this film, somebody should get 25 to life. The second this movie ended, I knew it was my movie of the year, regardless of what else I saw in 2017. It’s a sequel for the ages, and a science fiction film that people decades from now will look back on with intrigue and wonder.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Thor Ragnarok

Brigsby Bear

Brawl in Cell Block 99

Okja

Baby Driver

Your Name

Logan

John Wick: Chapter 2

Spider-Man: Homecoming

I, Tonya

That’s going to do it for my top films of 2017, thanks so much for reading! If you have thoughts or opinions on my list, hit me up on Twitter or Facebook and let’s talk about them (unless it’s a bad Last Jedi take, those won’t do). It was incredibly hard to cut out some of the honorable mentions but overall I’m extremely happy with my list and all of the movies I was lucky enough to see this year (and lucky enough to have an awesome wife who understands and accepts my movie-going addiction!) Share this post with your friends if you’d like, and I hope you have a great 2018!

[piratekane]

Fic Writers Week 2017 - Day 1

Words of Validation - As a reader, give some feedback. As a writer share some of your favorite comments.

Reader I will be the first to admit: I am bad at giving feedback. I consume fanfiction daily, but the habit of commenting is not one that has stuck with me easily. Sure, sure. In a moment, when talking directly to Pocket FriendsTM, I can give feedback. But alone at 3am, laying in bed? It’s not a thing that happens. That being said, I wanted to highlight some of my absolute always-go-back-to fics that I’ve probably never commented on, but adore (that are limited to Wayhaught and Bechloe fics, atm, because sitting here sifting through the toxic love affair I had with G*** is too much). 

Open Range Hearts by thewaywedo33 / @thewaywedo33 (Wayhaught) First of all, this is magnificent. Your story, admittedly, got me into Wayhaught. I’d been seeing it on my dash and I went over to ao3 and was, like, what even is there to read? The answer was... not much. But this fic was there and I opened it hesitantly and damn. I don’t like horses. If I never meet a horse by its first name, I’ll be glad. But the world you created, keeping all of the characters in their lanes and dropping them into this what-Purgatory-could-be environment (because I can totally see it as a running farm) is just amazing. You have such a way with words that I find myself going back to the scene in the barn where they give in and I live that moment - Nicole’s pleading for Waverly to stop doing this thing that neither of them can control, Waverly’s hot and cold confusion. Also, the hat falling to the ground? I don’t know why I love that single detail so much, but I do. (I think it’s because - and I’m so guilty of this myself, until I reread a few times - people forget things like that? It’s like a math problem. If a woman is wearing a cowboy hat, and a second women launches herself at the first with a velocity of attraction, is she wearing a hat by the time their lips touch?)

Tripping, Stumbling, Flipping, Fumbling by TheGaySmurf / @iamthegaysmurf (Wayhaught) Let me make a list of the things I love about this fic, in no particular order: the vague opening where you’re like, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY NICOLE?!; Doc letting it slip; Waverly being like, rules, what rules? Let me back there; the hilarious series of unfortunate events that Nicole experiences, THE FACE THAT IT HAPPENED WHILE HOLDING AN ‘ACCIDENT PREVENTION PLAN’ BINDER;  and just the love. I love the love. 

if we never take the first step (let’s get a move on) by socallmedaisy / @socallmedaisy​ (Wayhaught) I’m sure (I hope) that I gushed about this fic to you, directly, but I also want to leave a comment, because it’s beautiful. Immediately, I love the way Wynonna’s whiskey makes her forget to whisper. I love the way Waverly slides in and makes that soft ache in Nicole’s chest (she knows Wynonna doesn’t like, cue the Han Face) disappear. AND THEN WYNONNA CALLS NICOLE A HERO and the spot in my heart, the one for the WynHaught bromance, it lights up like a fireworks display. Honestly, the whole thing is just what I needed and it settles in my chest like a good hug, if that makes sense. When they finally get to those three words, it feels like all of this up and down and crazy life they lead is worth it. You make it feel like it’s worth it. Also, the visual of Nicole with a sleeping baby on her chest is just... it’s magical.

heaven talks (but not to me) by belikeabumblee / @belikebumblebee I love this story. I love the relationship-building between Wynonna and Nicole. I love the way Nicole steps back and gives Waverly the space she needs, that she comforts her and feeds her, and then at the same time, is not afraid to verbalize that Waverly needs to get her shit together. I love when relationships are shown this: when one person gives the other space to grieve, to come to terms with a big truth, but doesn’t let them sink themselves in that pit of despair; when one person steps up and says, I know you think you need this but I know you and you need to do that before you can move on from this. I love when people talk to each other and you had them talk so beautifully, so honestly. I just... I love this story.

stare into the sky until we’re blind by lescousinsdangereux (Bechloe) YOU DID A ROAD TRIP FIC. Okay, but I need you to know: the part where they get out of a speeding ticket was, hands down, one of my favorite things about this fic. I feel like Beca is written so... restrained? And the way she’s so obviously flustered here is fantastic. Additionally, the way you picked the moment Chloe falls for Beca to be when she’s rapping is such a perfect throwback to the shock and then delight on Chloe’s face in the first movie, when she starts going with ‘No Diggity.’ Just the choices you made, plot- and word-wise are fantastic, magnificent, and now I’m re-reading this from start to finish. 

You Still Make Sense To Me (Your Mess Is Mine) by wherehopelies (Bechloe) This hits all of my trope weaknesses - fake dating, roommates to girlfriends, getting a pet. I mean, this fic was, like, written specifically for me, I’m pretty sure. I just want to thank you for making me fall in love with a dog named Potato (and giving him an godmother). I want to thank you for having absolutely no one be surprised about Beca and Chloe finally dating. I want to thank you for the delicious slow burn that is these two idiots being in love without knowing their in love. Also also also, your use of David Guetta is 10/10 and, like, I don't know how you pulled that off without making it super cheesy, but you did.

Forgive Me These November Days by obstinate_questionings (Bechloe) I read this often. I’m not going to lie. I read this frequently. I love love love love the way you write Chloe, specifically. I love the way you explore the way she thinks and the way she acts. I especially love how in-character she feels, especially because in the film, her character traits are very fleeting and hard to grab onto. I’ve seen people pull out the party-girl trait and run with that. But this Chloe? The one you’ve built from a few small character-building scenes in the movie? My heart aches. Also, this is the best Chloe-Aubrey friendship I’ve ever read. Ever. And I will continue to come back to this fic again and again and again.

Writer One of my favorite things about posting a story is refreshing my email. I love waking up the morning after posting a story and opening my email and seeing comments from people who read it while I was sleeping. There are so many amazing people who comment, but I just want to pull out a few that really stuck in my ribs over the last few weeks.

swagche on live our lives together day by day

Reading this one was like buying a new album from your favorite band and just being perfectly reminded why you fell in love with them in the first place while enjoying their growth.

I JUST REALLY LOVE THIS SERIES.

I read this sentence over and over again and decided it’s the best damn compliment I could have ever received. It immediately reminded me of, like, 

jaguarspot on yesterday and days before (sun is cold and rain is hard)

For an 80s music AU, this one had almost no music, which is fitting seeing as a part of the music in their lives just faded

Writing this Curtangst was just as hard as I’m assuming it was to read it. This series has become so much a part of my life (you think I’m kidding but right now, Survivor’s Vital Signs is blasting on my cassette player for the fifth time today) that it was so important to set Curtis up and to make his death resonate across all of the characters who interacted with him daily, who mattered to him. To be honest, Curtis plays such a large part of their musical history (which you guys will see eventually) that having someone nail it head of the head so perfectly... It floored me. It absolutely floored me.

forgetthesun on it's like i wrote every note with my own fingers

Is this your opus? Your heart and soul has poured into every crevice of this story. I haven't stayed up until 2am reading fic for years but this, this kept me awake all night. And the music was to die for.

It felt like a combination of a love story to 80s music/movies and to the middle era of fic - how exactly did you pull off a songfic btw? I was a bit late to the Wayhaught party and hadn't been interested in reading about them before I saw there was a story written by you.

It must be over ten years now that I've been reading your work and I haven't once been disappointed. Even back in the angst days there was always a level of hope in your stories (however deep it might have been buried) and it's wonderful to read your more recent pieces where the balance of angst to hope has been tipped on its head.

I'm so looking forward to reading the rest of this series and listening to all those wonderful mixtapes! Nicole's anxiety over getting those tapes right was so perfect. It had my fingers itching to hit the buttons of a dual deck again.

I love this comment for many reasons. I joined fandom at such a young age, that I’ve already been in ‘the game’ for... ten years? Definitely longer. It’s probably actually more like twelve, to be honest. (Which is why I see fandom ‘grandma’ posts and laugh, because, like I am one.) Anyway, what is so cool about fandom, and one of the things I love about this comment, is that forgetthesun is right - they started reading my work nearly ten years ago. Back when all we had were glances and lingering brushes of hands and people created worlds from a .02 second moment in time. My work used to be angst, angst, angst. And I’m so fucking grateful someone followed me out of that dark time to now, to better days. (I’m also looking at you, @iamthegaysmurf.) The other reason I love this comment is because they’re right; this is my opus. I have - and continue to - put so, so much of myself into this. I also put so much of Smurf into it, as well. I feel like out of everything I’ve ever written, this one just... feels different. It feels like more. It feels like everything. (Also, dude, if I knew how in the hell I pulled off a songfic, I would send myself back in time and rewrite all the songfics I ever did, I swear to god.)

tl;dr - go back and read it, you cowards (I say, with affection)

Fic Writers Week 2017

[calledchaos]

VILLANELLE IS NOT A PSYCHOPATH, IN THIS ESSAY I WILL-

Okay, so Killing Eve is currently my favorite TV show, but there's one thing that's been bothering me since season one and it's the INCORRECT assumption that Villanelle is a psychopath.

First things first, please note I'm not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but I've done a lot of research for this show (if you listen to the parcast's Serial Killers podcast, you saw what I did there 💁🏾‍♂️).

While I don't know a lot about hired assassins, I do have a fair amount of knowledge on serial killers and their traits. So let's break Villanelle's character down so I can explain why I don't believe she's a psychopath OR sociopath, for that matter.

Actually, before we even to that, let's clarify WHAT IS a psychopath. For starters, the correct medical term used, as in, when you get diagnosed it's not as a psy/sociopath but rather as having antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). A person with ASPD can be born like that (that's what we usually call a psychopath) or can become like that (that's the sociopath). Their main difference is that psychopaths are most likely to be organized and calculating, whereas sociopaths are more "react in the moment" type, they're sloppy and messy.

Here's some patterns of ASPD:

* Superficial charm;

* Dishonesty;

* Lack of empathy;

* Coldness;

* Inability to form honest relationships;

* Poverty of emotions;

* They don't think through the consequences of their actions and they don't care about them either.

* They break rules, laws, moral codes, etc.

Now you're probably going like "well, you just described V before she met Eve", BUT NO, my dear fellow gay, NO. What really sorts a person with ASPD out is their inability to FEEL REMORSE.

They CANNOT FEEL IT. It's been scientific proven that their brains are wired in a different way than the regular human. If they're in a relationship it isn't based on love, but rather some kind of profit, whether it's financial or sexual, or whatever. If they're with you it's because they WANT something FROM you. They don't form relations as in "I vs You", but rather as "I vs It".

Now what normally shapes a person's personality besides their nature it's their nurture. Villanelle grew up in a toxic home with an abusive mother. That's like... mental illness starter pack (a very familiar field for tumblr users, ain't it? Have you taken your meds today btw?). Did yall see her mother? It's pretty easy to understand why she looks for validation so desperately and why she's attracted to older women with wild hair. Mommy issues at its finest.

Now to be diagnosed with ASPD a person necessarily needs to also be diagnosed with conduct disorder before the age of 15. For what we've learned, Villanelle was a difficult child and she did set the orphanage she was living in on fire, which is one of the patterns to qualify her. But if you suffer from some kind of abuse at an early age, you will act out, one way or another. They didn't make it clear, but I don't believe she used to torture animals and commit petty crimes when she was a kid, and those are the most common behaviors of children with conduct disorder. So if she didn't behave like that, she couldn't be diagnosed with ASPD after she turned 18.

When she killed Anna's husband it was from a place of jealousy, which's pretty common for female murderers, you don't have to be a psychopath for that, could very much be a crime of passion. His castration, however, indicates she perhaps needed to set a ritual to get her point across - which she repeated when she murdered Frank, but then again that was staging the body to shock Eve... Did she want to shock Anna as well or did she want to emasculate the husband? Honestly, I don't remember what that was about. BUT had her not be recruited by the Twelve, would she had killed again? She seems to be questioning that herself and from where I'm standing, I'd say maybe no. Because SHE ISN'T A SERIAL KILLER. I mean, now she is by definition, considering she's killed a ton of people, BUT LIKE serial killers kill because that's all they know, that's the only thing that brings them fulfillment and even that it's a tricky statement, because MALE serial killers kill for satisfaction; FEMALE serial killers normally kill for profit, like a tool to reach their goal. There are very few female serial killers that I know of that kill for the sake of it or even less so, for sexual gratification.

It's difficult to follow a pattern with a character, because you don't know how accurate the writer intended to be or how vast is their knowledge on people with ASPD, but because she has shown empathy for various characters so far (Konstantin, that kid she killed in the hospital so he wouldn't have to live without his family, her brothers...) and also because she fell in love with Eve, she CAN'T have ASPD. I mean, sure when it comes to human behavior nothing is 100% certain. Gary Ridgway, aka The Green River Killer, was convicted for murdering 48 women, but by the time he was caught he was married to a woman who pretty much said he was a great, loving and caring husband and he did say he actually loved her too, but he kept soliciting service from sex workers and killing them afterwards.

The thing is, specialists say that killing can be addictive. Though I don't consider Villanelle a psychopath, I'm okay with her having psychopathic tendencies. When she said she doesn't feel anything, she's just so bored, remember? It could very much be the reason why she got stuck in killing. Her first kill, Anna's husband, got her in jail where she would've stayed if it wasn't for the 12 recruiting her. They taught her how to do the job and I believe that gave her some kind of fulfillment. It made her finally feel something and that's why she kept killing. She had to learn how to disassociate herself from what she was doing in order to keep doing it. People became just subjects. But once she felt connected with Eve, that all started to crumble down.

Okay, so the first two seasons we don't see her really loving Eve, we see her obsessing over her. And that's pretty easy to crack: there was a middle aged woman with beautiful hair dedicating her days to find Villanelle. For someone who so desperately needed reassurance and attention, that was probably a burst of excitement she wasn't used to feeling.

The game changer happened in season 3, though. That scene when Konstantin told her Eve was still alive was SO WELL DONE. The camera angle tilting to the side, the slow motion, Konstantin's voice fading away. You can actually see in her eyes she's SPIRALING and that single tear rolling down her face while she smiled... IT'S A GOOD SCENE. I think in that moment she realized her feelings for Eve were a lot deeper than just her need to have someone to control and play with. She learned that her actions almost made her lose the one person she actually loves and probably also actually loves her back and she doesn't want to blow the miraculous second chance she got.

Since she thought she had killed Eve she was even emptier inside and killing wasn't giving her satisfaction anymore, but the thought of Eve surviving made her burst with emotions. She didn't need to kill anyone now, she just wanted Eve back.

Needless to say that's NOT how ASPD works. They're literally incapable of these kind of feelings. SO the pattern I THINK fits better is NARCISSISM.

Now, see... There are 10 personality disorders divided in three groups: clusters A, B and C. Antisocial Personality Disorder is one of the four disorders in cluster B and withing this group their common trait is narcissism.

There are two kinds of narcissists, the one that concerns us here are the ones that are charming, confident, they'll do whatever it takes to get what they want, even if means emotionally abusing their peers, manipulation, lying, cheating... They think they're the very apex of the world, people that only know them on the surface love them, they're the life of the party and yada yada yada. They're normally very successful, because when you don't care about people around you, you will climb to the top way faster (most - if not all - CEOs are narcissists btw). You're gonna noticed that this description is pretty similar to ASPD, but the big difference here is that narcissists CAN FEEL REMORSE AND SHAME, people with ASPD CANNOT.

BUT being a narcissist doesn't mean you have a personality disorder, it just means you're probably a fucking jerk. What will give you a diagnosis though is when your narcissistic behavior causes you impediments. When it causes you trouble in all areas of your life, professional, personal, familiar, etc., when it makes you miserable it's when you can be diagnosed with another cluster B disorder: Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD).

It is incredibly difficult to diagnose someone with NPD, because these people very rarely see themselves as having a problem. Like I said, they normally live their best lives, no need to change anything. So when it comes back to bite them in the ass (which sometimes never happens, because the universe is unfair) and if by a miracle they realize that THEY are the problem, that's when you get a NPD ticket. If you're following my thought process you know where I'm going with this...

VILLANELLE ISN'T A PSYCHOPATH, SHE'S A NARCISSIST WHO DEVELOPT NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER.

While being an assassin was giving her everything she wanted, Villanelle was just fine with her nice life, cool flat and fun job. The only thing she was lacking was someone to watch movies with and being a narcissist she thought she had to control someone in order to be loved by them (narcissists are actually very insecure, that's why they're so extra with the manipulation, they don't deal with rejection well). Once she felt actual feelings, when she realized how her explosive ways almost costed Eve's life, that's when she understood that her actions took her to a place she didn't quite like anymore and if she wanted to have a another shot and do things right, she needed to change.

In real life people with NPD need a lot of therapy and even so, they won't impruve much tbh, 'cause that's just how their brains work. But for the sake of the poetry, I'm more than okay with accepting that Villaneve's connection is so strong it made an skilled narcissist assassin to come down from her high horse to put Eve as a priority. Villanelle giving Eve the option to walk away for good to have a better stable life away from the chaos their feelings for each other created is probably the most romantic thing I've ever seen and I can rant about that season 3 finale for hours too, don't try me.